Seireitei's Snowflake
by FantasiiBubbles
Summary: It's a RenjixOC :3 haha I'm not good with summaries but this follows the life of a girl named Kurosaki Kinomi
1. 1: Just The Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: blah blah blah, i don't own Bleach! isn't it obvious?? xD**

Anyways, the main character and my OC is Kurosaki Kinomi [Last, First], she just turned 12 in the flashback and is now 14 :]

ONWARDS!!

* * *

_I didn't want to open my eyes in fear of what I would see. White lights, making the blinding white walls even brighter, the heart monitor, and dozens of tubes, needles and what else there is in a hospital room._

"_If she's lucky she may live past 12, but if we don't find a cure, we're positive she won't make it past 18."_

"_I understand..." I heard my father reply._

"_You run a clinic Kurosaki-San, surely you've already known this?" I heard the doctor said softly._

"_Yes I have, but I was hoping that I was wrong and she just had some sort of flu."_

_They talked some more, and then the doctor left._

"_You can open your eyes now, Kinomi. I know you're awake..." my dad said._

_I made a small whining sound and did as I was told, "Hey dad..." I said hoarsely, trying to smile in an attempt to make him smile too... it worked... kinda..._

"_Is it true... what the doctor said?" I asked._

_He only nodded, bowing his head down a little. It was one of those rare times where he was actually serious about something. Though I would like to see him serious more often, I didn't want him to be sad, and it was just natural for me to try to lift up everyone's mood._

"_Hey, he said that I would live past 12 if I'm lucky, and I only turned 11 two weeks ago. It means I have another year at least."_

_He chuckled and ruffled up my hair, "We'll just make the most of it and hope for a cure. I can't hog you all to myself now, your brother and sisters want to see you."_

"_Ok!" I smiled, sitting up from the hospital bed._

_

* * *

  
_

"_So how does it feel to finally be 12?" My brother asked as we walked home together from school._

"_It feels the same as it was when I was 11. How does it feel to already be 13, Ichigo?" I laughed._

"_The same as it was when I was 12," he smiled, ruffling my hair, but his smiled soon dropped._

_I sighed, "Stop thinking about it Ichigo, you're only going to make yourself feel worse. Save it for when I actually d-"_

"_Don't say it Kinomi, please... don't you EVER say it..." his eyes were begging me to shut up._

_I quickly closed my mouth, "Ok... I won't. I promise."_

"_Good."_

_We finally reached home and Ichigo walked in first, already knowing what's coming for him._

"_Ichigoooooo!" Dad shouted, aiming a kick towards his head._

"_Ah!" They fell together on the hard wooden floor, trying to punch and kick each other's face._

"_Stop it you old man!"_

"_Old man?! You should respect your father more!"_

"_Maybe if you stop being so immature!"_

_I chuckled, walking around them and threw my bag on the couch. The smell of food crawling under my nose was pulling me towards the kitchen._

"_Yuzu, you made all this?" I asked my sister and glanced at the fully prepared meal sitting on the table._

_Usually, she would only make something simple like rice, then wait for me to come home and help her finish out the rest that she couldn't do._

"_Yeah!" She grinned proudly. "Well actually, Karin helped me out a little bit. I figured you shouldn't cook tonight since it's your birthday. Tell me what you think of it! I made all the stuff that you like but I've never cooked any of it before. I only learned from watching you."_

_I took a piece of fried eggs that she pushed towards me and ate it, "Wow, it tastes pretty good for your first try. Good job kid."_

"_Thank you!" she smiled widely._

_The three of us turned to the floor where the "men" of the family were still trying to wrestle it out._

"_Hey, the food is going to get cold if you don't stop fighting!" Yuzu said._

"_Forget it Yuzu, this is how they bond. It's best to just leave them alone for a while," Karin sighed._

_I chuckled and turned back to the table, only to find a ghost floating in front of me and making faces. I groaned, "I can see you..."_

_He stopped and turned around to see nobody, then turned back to me and pointed at himself as if to say 'me?'. I nodded, "Yeah, you."_

_He gulped and quickly floated away._

"_Another one?" Yuzu asked._

"_Yeah," I replied._

_After dinner, I went to go for a walk. When they asked me why, I only shrugged. "I don't know... something is just telling me to go..." I trailed off._

"_You want me to come with you?" Ichigo asked._

_I shook my head, "No, it's okay Ichigo. I'll be fine."_

"_Just be back before dark," he said._

"_Okay, mother!" I stuck my tongue out and ran outside before he could protest. I laughed quietly to myself while heading in a random direction._

_Somehow, I had a bad feeling about going outside. But something was just urging me to go. Pretty soon, I was about 10 blocks from home and I stopped walking._

_I glanced at the sky, "Crap, it's almost dark. I should get home before I get a scolding from a certain brother..." I sighed and turned around._

_Ichigo has always looked out for me and my younger sisters. Our dad can be immature sometimes so Ichigo feels like it's his responsibility, especially since he's the eldest, though only older than me by a year. I'm usually like the "mother", since I'm the oldest female, and Yuzu takes over when I'm not there._

"_Oh man... it's getting dark!" I groaned, breaking out into a sprint, I was still about 7 blocks from home._

_I was feeling okay and normal. I haven't had another "episode" for a while now, so I thought I was starting to get better. But after a minute or two, a sharp pain exploded throughout my body. I gasped and collapsed to the ground on my knees._

_My hand flew up to my mouth as I began coughing up blood. 'Oh no, I shouldn't have walked so far, so I could've gotten home faster!"_

_I panicked as thoughts ran through my head, 'I'll make it through! I have to!' My fingers struggled getting my cellphone out of my pocket, before fumbling with the numbers._

"_Hello?" A bored voice answered._

"_K-Karin!" I coughed._

"_Onee-san?!"_

"_7 blocks from home... near the broken lamppost..." was all I managed to say before I started getting lightheaded and dropped my phone. My coughing stopped and I was laying on the ground, barely breathing. '...I never got to say goodbye to anyone...'_

_A lone tear slipped out of my eye and dropped to the pavement beside me..._

_Suddenly, as if nothing had happened at all, my eyes flew open and I was...floating?!_

_I looked down and saw my body, then looked at my own self to see that I could see through myself._

"_Am I...dead?..." I said to myself._

"_Yes you are."_

_A man in dressed in black with a sword strapped on his side had appeared in front of me._

_'No...this can't be..."_

_I rubbed my fingers together nervously. What's going to happen to me now? Will I just float around here for the rest of my life?_

"_I have to send you to Soul Society," the man interrupted my thoughts._

"_Soul...Society?" I asked, fear shown clearly in my eyes when he pulled his sword out._

"_Yeah, don't be scared. Many souls are there too, it's my job as a shinigami to help you get there. All I have to do is put the back of my zanpakuto to your head and you'll be there in no time."_

"_Can you wait a few minutes though? Please?"_

_He raised an eyebrow at my request. Ichigo can see souls too, so I can wait for him to get here and tell him goodbye before I'm sent away._

_The man in strange clothing was about to answer me, when a nasty sounding roar filled my ears. "We don't have time to wait!" he shouted, pulling me away._

"_What is that sound?!" I yelled._

"_A hollow!"_

"_What's a h-?"_

_But my question was answered when a giant black...thing... with a white mask appeared in front of us._

"_I have to send you there NOW!"_

"_No! I have to wait for my brother to get here!" I protested and held back a scream as that "hollow" thing slashed through his left sleeve and cut his arm._

"_We can't wait any longer! I have to send you before it turns you into a hollow too," and that was it._

_He pressed the handle of his sword on my forehead and I was sent to Soul Society._

_I had arrived in Junrinan,part of the west Rukongai district. People living in this area were nice and caring, and I had sort of a family here with a few other people. We were in District 1, the closest to Seireitei, where the shinigami live._

_The few months that I was in Junrinan, I had learned a lot from everyone. And it was soon my goal to be a shinigami after I learned that they get sent to the world of living sometimes for missions. So I can find my family and finally say goodbye._

_I applied for Shinou Academy the moment I found out I had some spiritual energy, which was enough to get me in. Before I knew it, I had graduated and was off to the Gotei 13. I thought that was the beginning of my new life, but it was only just the prolouge._

_

* * *

  
_

I'm 14 now. Since I was in Soul Society, my age still increases, but my appearance isn't catching up as fast.

I was laying on the roof of the 13th division, which was the division I was in. My eyes were closed and relaxed. Ukitake taichou was giving me a break from paperwork today since he was in bed for the past week, and I had to do his work too. After some protesting from me, he finally pushed me out and told me to relax.

But that relaxation didn't last long.

"Kinomi, come quickly!"

I opened my eyes to see my captain on the roof as well.

"Ukitake-Taichou... what is it?" I ask, standing up.


	2. 2: You Have Weird Eyebrows Renji

**I'm trying to use less dialogue and longer paragraphs. But it's not working too well for me haha :D I'm trying, I'm trying!!! xD**

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"So what is it?" I ask my captain as we headed inside the 13th division headquarters.

"Kuchiki Rukia from our division has been scheduled for execution, they're currently holding her in the 6th division cells" he coughed.

"What?! Why?!" I hand him his tea to ease his coughing. Before he could answer, he bursted into more violent coughs, leaning over with one hand over his mouth, and the other on his chest.

"Kiyone! Sentaro!" I called.

"Hai!" They immediately answered, appearing at the door.

"Take the captain home and make sure he gets some rest," I ordered and they nodded.

"But-" Ukitake-Taichou started protesting, only to start coughing again.

"No 'buts'! You're gonna listen to me, shut up and get some rest. No protesting from you!" I waved my finger in front of his face. He lightly smiled and let the two 3rd seats take him home.

Once they were cleared out of the room, I looked at the stacks of papers. There weren't that many left, and I can finish them if I stay up tonight. So I can go visit Rukia and see what's going on. I tied Shuurei Tenshi, my zanpakuto, against my waist and headed off.

Unlike everyone else in the Gotei 13, I've only been here for a bit over 2 years, while others have been here for at least a few decades. They say it was rare that someone for someone to graduate from the academy in a year, when they've only been in Soul Society for a few months. Not to mention they immediately placed me as 4th seat in the 11th squad, and then placed as a lieutenant just a few weeks ago. You can say I took a pretty big leap.

But though I've been here for 2 years, it was still hard to remember where each division was. So I had to climb up high to see the numbers that were painted on the walls.

"Let's see... where's the giant six...?...." I wondered to myself, looking around until I found it. "Bingo!"

I leaped from rooftop to rooftop until I reached the entrance. "Huh? I wonder where their captain is?..." I shrugged, "Eh... who cares."

On my way, many shinigami waved and said hello to me. I didn't even know who more than half of them were, but apparently they knew who I was... so I just simply nodded and kept walking.

"Kinomi?"

I turned around to come face to face (well more like face to chest), with Renji.

I raised an eyebrow at his clothes, "Um... why aren't you in your uniform?"

He looked down at his white robe with light pink flowers on them, tied together by a black sash, "It's my day off." He shrugged.

"Ok then..."

"You here to see Rukia?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

He tilted his head to the left, "Come on then."

We reached a giant red door where 'six' was painted on with black ink. He took the key that was spinning on his finger and inserted it in the slot, opening the door for us to walk in.

"Aaahh! Wait! Wait!"

I sweatdropped, "Was that Rikichi?"

He sighed, "Probably..."

As we walked closer, we heard everything he was saying, "Hi, my name's Jennifer. I'm a pisces and my blood type's A. My cup size is E. My 3 sizes are-"

He was silenced when Renji knocked him to the ground with a kick to the head. "Ow...." he was still holding onto a fake yellow butterfly while a hell butterfly was flying around him.

I sighed, he probably let another one loose again. The butterfly landed on my outstretched finger.

"What the heck are you doing?!" Renji demanded, arms crossed. 'Isn't it obvious?'

"Renji-San!" he exclaimed, rubbing his head. "Aren't you off duty today?"

"I'm checking on the prisoner.... is she still depressed?"

He walked off without an answer, muttering some things under his breath. "Here," I said, handing Rikichi the butterfly. "A little tip, that little trick with the fake butterfly isn't going to work. Later," I waved, catching up to the red head.

When we arrived at the cell, Rukia was sitting in a chair with her back turned to us.

"Hey, you still depressed?" Renji said.

"I'm not depressed," she stated, barely turning her head.

"They why won't you touch your food, eh?" he kept pressing on.

"I'm simply not hungry, _lieutenant_," she emphasized the last word.

Oh, that's right! Renji wasn't made a lieutenant until after she left to the world of the living. So she only just learned about it recently.

He raised a fist, "What, dammit?! You got a problem with me being a lieutenant?!"

"No, of course not."

I smirked, knowing that she was probably smirking herself.

"Do your best, fukutaichou-dono! You're strong, fukutaichou-dono! You've got weird eyebrows, fukutaichou-dono!"

That was it. I bursted out laughing, while Renji looked like he was ready to kill her.

"I'll kill you! Get out here!" he growled, clutching the cell bars tightly.

"Hey, you're the one who locked her in there, boke!" I pointed out.

He turned to glare at me, muttering incoherent things under his breath. I quickly pushed him out and slammed the door in his face. "Hey! This is my division!"

"Whatever!" I shouted back and walked closer to the bars. "Hey Rukia, how is it in there?" I joked.

"Dark and lonely. How is it out there, Kurosaki-fukutaichou?" She joked back, finally getting up and walking towards me.

"Bright and filled with idiots," I shrugged. "Mind telling me what you did that was so serious, they're setting your execution date?"

She broke eye contact and stared at the floor, "...I gave a human my shinigami powers..." she mumbled.

I froze, "...Oh..." was all I could say.

Giving her a lecture was pointless because she already knew about the consequences, and if they go through with the execution, I don't want her to be bored to death before it happens.

"Fukutaichou? May I ask you something?" she said quietly.

"Um, I guess so."

"Well, you never talk about your living life so I was curious. Did you have an older brother by the name of Kurosaki Ichigo?"

"If he has bright orange hair, stubborn and a short temper, then yes.... He was the one you gave your powers to, am I right?"

She nodded, "Hai... I did it because I was wounded and he needed to save his sister."

"I understand... Well, I gotta go and get prepared." I stretched my arms.

She raised an eyebrow, "Prepared?"

I smirked, "Knowing Ichigo, he's gonna be here in a few days or so to save you."

She gasped just as I waved and walked outside. Once I closed the door, I leaned against it and sighed. 'It's going to be dangerous. For us and for him too.'

Renji was leaning on the left wall, arms crossed and impatient. "Just leave her alone for now... And by the way, it's not nice to eavesdrop." I said, walking away.

"So that orange haired bastard is your brother, eh?"

"You really do have weird eyebrows Renji..." I waved and continued walking.

"Hey I was talking to you!"

But I had already left his sight using shunpo.

* * *

"Um... Kurosaki-Fukutaichou?..."

"Yeah Kiyone?" I answered, eyes still closed, my back resting on the 13th division's roof.

"Did you hear the warning?"

"Yep!"

"...Aren't you going to do anything?..."

"Nope!"

She was at a loss for words. "Um okay, I'll be going now...." she quickly ran away, probably back to the captain.

I finally opened my eyes. A message was sent throughout Seireitei that there were invaders in West Rukongai, the part where I lived for the first few months. I was 99% sure that it was Ichigo. But they had said "invaders", meaning that he brought more people with him.

I sighed, "I just hope he knows what he's doing..."


	3. 3: Iba Likes His Hair?

**haha, don't let my titles throw you off :] every time i write a new chapter, i just like to name it from a random sentence in there.**

**Happy Reading and Sunshine Bunnies! :3**

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In West Rukongai, a orange haired teenager known as Kurosaki Ichigo had just defeated the gatekeeper, Jidanbou. But of course, it wasn't that easy to get into Seireitei. Ichimaru Gin had appeared and stopped him from passing through, and he had injured the gatekeeper as well.

"Souls who enter the Soul Society are called Ryoka, and are said to be the cause of all trouble," Yoruichi explained to the group as people started coming out from their hiding places to see what was going on.

"So they must've thought we were dangerous," Ishida stated, pushing up his glasses.

Ichigo's eyes were searching through the crowd, staring at many different faces, but not the one he was looking for. He let out a small groan of frustration, thinking it wasn't heard by anyone else.

"Eh? Kurosaki-Kun, what are you looking for?" Orihime asked while continuing to heal Jidanbou, who was now concious.

But he only shook his head, "Hey Yoruichi, every soul gets sent to Soul Society right?"

The cat nodded, "Most souls do, but some aren't lucky enough to run into any shinigami and the hollows get to them before they do. I'm pretty sure Urahara told you all this already."

"You're looking for Kinomi-Chan, aren't you?" Orihime said quietly.

"It'll be practically impossible to find someone in Rukongai," Yoruichi said. "It's divided into 320 districts with 80 in each section."

Jidanbou spoke up, "If you give me the name of the person you're looking for, I might be able to help you if they live in West Rukongai."

"Her name is Kinomi... Kurosaki Kinomi..." he said softly, looking at the bigger man, who started chuckling.

"W-what's so funny?" Ichigo asked, a little surprised.

"No wonder your name sounded so familiar, and now I know why. Yeah, I knew a Kurosaki Kinomi, she use to live in that house next to that bread shop over there," he pointed at said location.

"Hold on! What do you mean by "_use to"_?!" Ichigo shouted.

"Ah, she left for the Shinou Academy a few months after arriving. She's been a part of the Gotei 13 for a year now."

* * *

"Achoo!" I sneezed, twitching my nose afterwards. 'Who the heck is talking about me?'

"Cover your mouth when you sneeze next time."

"Well, it's not like anyone else was around, plus my hands are full." I was surprised that the huge stack of papers I was carrying hasn't toppled over yet, considering it's taller than me. "So what are you doing here anyways, Renji? If anyone from my division catches you here, they'll kick your butt straight to hell for capturing Rukia."

He rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, I'm not sure how I'm going to break it to you... but they're transferring Rukia to Senzaikyu tomorrow morning."

I raised an eyebrow. All these places were still confusing to me so it took a while. "Senzaikyu? Isn't that the big white tower where prisoners are kept until they get executed by Sokyoku?"

He only nodded. I sighed, then gasped as my tower of papers were leaning over the edge. Renji was quietly snickering while I tried to keep everything in balance.

"Shut up!" I kicked him in the back of his knees, knocking him over. "Geez, be a gentleman and offer to help me carry some of these papers at least!" I glared at him, still laughing to himself. "It wasn't even that funny... idiot..."

He pushed himself up, "May I offer my help with carrying your papers?" he mocked, sticking out his arms.

"Yes you may," I dump my entire stack in his chest and motioned him to follow me.

"Hey! I wasn't being serious! And even if I was, you should still take half of it!" he whined.

But all of his protests went ignored.

I slid open the door to the 13th's main office. "Alright, set them in 4 stacks on my desk, _slave_" I smirked.

"Yes _master_," he rolled his eyes, and went to do what he was told.

"I never knew you were so obedient."

"There are many things you don't know about me, Kurosaki. Wanna hear some?"

Oh, so he's turning this into some kind of game is he?

"No thanks, I have more important things to do than listen to you whine about beating Byakuya," I sat down and started on the paperwork.

"W-Who told you that?!" he demanded.

"I have my sources..." Also known as Baldy and Feather Boy from the 11th division. "Did you need anything else, Renji?"

"...No..." and with that, he left.

**Next Day...**

From a nearby rooftop, I was hiding my reiatsu, while watching Renji lead Rukia's transfer to Senzaikyu.

"This is getting way too suspicious..." I muttered, looking through my binoculars.

"What do you mean?" Kiyone asked from my right side, looking through hers too.

"I did some research last night. Isn't Soukyoku suppose to be used on someone of captain rank?"

"Now that you mention it..." Sentaro was on my left, scratching his head. "They also decreased the date of execution from 35 to 25 days."

Kiyone reached over me and bonked him on the head with her binoculars, "Hey, I was going to say that, you copycat!"

"Too bad, too sad! I said it first! And it's not copying if I-!"

"Get down!" I whispered as Renji came back outside with the 4 guards.

Our eyes followed the redhead until he took a turn and was out of sight. I let out my unknowingly held breath.

"You're going to do something about the execution aren't you?" Kiyone asked.

I grinned, "You know me too well, of course I'm going to do something about it. Rukia's my friend and something just doesn't seem right here..."

"I'll help you!" Sentaro announced.

"Me too!" Kiyone said quickly.

"Look at who's the copycat now!" he accused.

"You were the copycat first!"

I sighed as they started one of their arguments again. My binoculars dangled from around my neck as I stood up, brushing myself off.

"Notice to all captains! Notice to all captains!" The sound of the hammer hitting the wooden board had ceased their yelling while we all listened intently. "An urgent meeting will be held right now!"

I frowned, what's going on now? Did the ryoka enter Seireitei? No... there would've been an announcement about that.

"Vice-Captain...Vice-Captain..." Sentaro nudged my shoulder, snapping me out of my thoughts. "We should get back."

I nodded in agreement, "Alright, let's go then."

"Have you heard that rumor spreading around?" Kiyone asked me as we headed back.

"Rumor?"

"Yeah, they said that 3rd division captain, Ichimaru Gin, went to take on the ryoka who entered Rukongai yesterday."

My eyes widened, "What?! Did he... finish them off?"

She shook her head no, "Nope. I would tell you more but I don't know anymore."

"Well I do!" Sentaro grinned, happy to rub this in Kiyone's face, who only sent him a glare.

"They said that the ryoka was a group of four, and one of them is a shinigami with orange hair and a body length sword."

Orange hair?!.... Ichigo?... I shook my head, ignoring those thoughts for now.

"If they really are trying to break into Seireitei, how are they going to get through the wall made of Sekkiseki?"

They both shrugged, "No idea!"

Oh well, at least I got some more information.

"Vice-Captains! Please standby in Sokushinsitsu with your badge equipped! I repeat!...-"

"Oh great..." I rolled my eyes. I motioned for the two to go on ahead while I went to retrieve my vice-captain badge, which was labeled with the kanji 13, and our division's insignia of a Summer Snowflake.

"This is so stupid," I complained to myself as I tied the badge around my upper left arm. "It'll take about half a day for all the vice-captains to gather."

As responsible as I am (most of the time), I'm can just be plain lazy. Especially when it involves meetings. But what I don't get is why they're having a meeting for captains and vice-captains at the same time.

I didn't hesitate taking my time, but somehow, I ended up at the door pretty quickly, "Oi..." I announced my arrival, walking inside to only see Rangiku, Iba, Hinamori, and Renji.

"Ah, Kinomi!" Rangiku smiled, motioning for me to sit next to her.

"Agh, this is gonna take forever..." I mumbled, laying my head down on the table. "I thought I finally had time to dye parts of my hair blue." I twirled some of my dark locks around my finger.

"You're telling me, I wanted to get mines trimmed! But noooo, my shortie of a captain had to leave me with so much paperwork and now I have to attend a meeting too!"

Renji snorted, "Girls and their necessities..."

Iba nodded in reply and Hinamori lightly chuckled as Rangiku and I glared at them.

"Oh, so I assume you've never had your hair cut before?"

"Of course I have Matsumoto, but I just get it shortened. I don't do all that weird stuff like you girls do."

I scoffed, "Weird? Have you checked out your eyebrows?"

We could practically see the steam hissing out of his ears, "Leave my eyebrows out of this! Iba-San, say something!"

He was taken aback as every pair of eyes in the room were staring at him, waiting for an answer that pleases them, "Well...uh... I... like my hair?" he shrugged.

It was silent after that, everyone was off in their own little world, wondering what's going on and how long it'll take for the other Lieutenants to get here.

But soon enough, the alarm sounded again.

_Now what?!_

"Warning! Warning! Intruders in Seireitei! All divisions, please report to your positions!"

_Is it the ryoka?_

"Guess this little meet is gonna come to an end... for now anyways..."

The 5 of us ran outside to report in with our divisions, and to wait for further orders.


	4. 4: Stupid Flashback

**okie, so i'm introducing 4 new OCs in here! sorry if you can't remember them all by the end of this chapter, but eh... :] you will eventually. it's not like they're major characters or anything, but i don't want to go through the trouble of making up random squad members later on so i just did it now**

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Everybody squinted at the sky, watching the ball of light hit Syakonmaku, the barrier that protected Seireitei. "Will it break through?" Many questioned, but nobody answered. They all just stared at it in wonder. "It's coming towards us!"

All of a sudden, it turned from a bright blue light to the color of the sun, splitting into four different directions, then it disappeared.

"The Ryoka must've gotten separated."

"What should we do, Captain?" Someone asked.

Ukitake-Taichou turned around to face everyone in our division, "Kinomi-fukutaicho."

"Yes sir?"

"Take a few people with you. Everyone else, spread out into groups and look for the Ryoka. Capture them alive if you can, and bring them in for questioning. As for me... I have a killer headache..." he groaned.

We all sweat dropped as Kiyone and Sentaro fought over who got to help the Captain back to our division to get some needed rest, and eventually, they both went with him.

"Alright, 4th, 9th, 11th, and 17th seat, you're coming with me! And the rest of you, get in groups with no more than 6 people and spread out everywhere! Investigate around where the Ryoka landed and remember to capture them alive. Don't let the other squads get in your way and avoid conflict with them if you can. Got it?"

"Hai!"

They departed in a flash and I was left with the 4 individuals I selected.

"So what's the plan, short stuff?" 4th seat, Kimaru, asked lazily draping an arm on my head like an armrest. My fist made contact with his head as the other 3 cringed, "That's _Lieutenant_ to you!"

"Ah geez, I've known you the longest from our squad and you still treat me like crap," he complained, rubbing his injured spot.

"Because you make up the stupidest names for me," I pointed out.

"What happened to our academy days when you were just a newbie and never raised your voice at anybody?!" he fake cried.

"Then I graduated and was placed into the 11th division," I chuckled.

Our 9th seat, Tsukiro, cleared his throat to catch our attention, "Speaking of 11th division, here they come." That was Tsukiro for you, always alert, quiet, and serious.

"Hey, you weaklings from the 13th squad! Move outta our way!"

"Yeah, get lost!"

"K-Kurosaki-Fukutaichou..." Hina, our 17th seat, whispered to me. She was a small girl, maybe no taller than the captain from the 10th division, and she's usually quiet most of the time.

Then there was 11th seat Makuno. Unlike Hina and Tsukiro, he's not quiet at all and not afraid to let someone know that he's annoyed.

"Yo! Did you hear me? I said: MOVE!" The 11th squad shouted again.

Beside me, Kimaru was rolling his eyes, Tsukiro had his closed, Hina was trying to not whimper, and Makuno had his arms crossed along with a 'get lost' expression.

"In case you haven't noticed, this part of Seireitei is one of the 13th division's assigned spots," I stated coldly, staring at the man who was leading. Not the best appealing man either. His uniform was exposing his hairy chest and he looked like his hasn't brushed his teeth in months. Not only that, his left eyebrow was gone too. But then again, that's how you tell most 11th squad members apart from the rest of the shinigami.

"Well missy, everything and everyplace belongs to the 11th squad when in combat!"

"Says who?" I demanded walking closer, as did he too.

"Says us!"

"Why don't you run home to Zaraki-Taichou and wait for your eyebrow to grow instead, eh?" I crossed my arms, smirking as some of his men were quietly snickering.

"Shut up! All of you!" he screamed. "And you!" he pointed at me. "How dare you say our Captain's name in that way?! You have no respect!" he shook his fist in my face, trying to seem intimidating. Which wasn't quiet working, anyone could tell that he probably wasn't a seated officer.

Makuno, who was fed up with all of this, stepped right up to his face before I could retort, "Hey, listen you bastard. This area belongs to the 13th division whether you like it or not. So get lost and look somewhere else cause there aren't any Ryoka here."

He bit his lip, unsure of what to do next. "You!" he boomed, pointing at me once again.

"What?" I groaned, tired of arguing with this guy.

He growled, "Who are you?!"

I raised an eyebrow. Oh, so _now _he asks who I am. A bit late isn't he?

"Kurosaki Kinomi, Lieutenant of the 13th squad and formerly 4th seat of the 11th squad."

"Y-You were in 11th?"

"Hey, that's why she looked familiar!" someone from his side said.

"I recognize her now!"

"Shut up and let's go!" he commanded running back to the direction he came from with his men following him.

Kimaru sighed in relief, "I thought they would never leave. Knowing 11th squad, they're probably running all over the place and causing half the damage that's happened so far just for the fun of it."

"Not everyone in 11th is as bad as him, they just like to fight a lot," I said.

"Um, Fukutaichou?" Hina said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Why were you placed in 11th squad before?"

This caused Kimaru to chuckle, "You want to know? I'll tell you why."

_**

* * *

About 1 year ago**_

_**Location: Shinou Academy**_

"_Ki-no-mi-Chaaan!" a male voice sang, followed by a pair of hands covering my eyes._

"_Kimaru, I already know it's you," I giggled as he sighed, "Ruin the fun will you?"_

_I rolled my eyes, "Idiot, you're the only one who does that to me. Plus, your voice gave it away."_

_He pouted, but then his smile returned, "I can't wait! Captains from the Gotei 13 are going to be watching us today while we spar and they'll be choosing who gets to be on which squad! Do you know how long I've been waiting for this?"_

_Before I could answer, he said it for me, "6 years!"_

_I chuckled, "Come on, save the excitement for when you're actually placed on a squad."_

"_Heh, you act like you're so great. Just because it only took you a year to get to where you are now. Like that Shiba Kaien guy who use to be Lieutenant of the 13th squad," he scoffed._

_I walked behind him and pushed him all the way to our class, "Just shut up and go already. We're going to be late and that won't make us look good."_

_We quickly ran to our seats next to everyone else on the floor. The room we use to spar is humongous. The floor was just plain wood while the walls were made up regular bricks, covered in white paint. Our 2 teachers of this class were standing at the front while we, the students, sat in a straight line. Then across from us on the other side were (surprisingly) all 13 Captains._

_One of our Senseis cleared his throat, "Students, as most of you already know, we will be pairing you up with another for a small match. The captains here will be watching closely and will decide which squad you will be placed in, but only if we think you're qualified to graduate. Now, let's begin!"_

"_Hey Kinomi, check out the 10th squad captain!" Kimaru whispered to me, just as the first match started._

"_What about him?"_

"_He's that prodigy kid! I guess they allow short people in the 13 Protecion Squads after all."_

_I elbowed him in the ribs and he held back a yelp of pain. "Shush! He'll hear you! Captains have all these fancy weird tricks where they know and hear everything you do."_

"_Come on, you're just being paranoid," he chuckled, but froze when the Captain took his eyes off the match and looked at Kimaru._

"_See, I told you!"_

"_Whatever!"_

_Matches flew by quickly and before we knew it, it was Kimaru's turn. I saw a trickle of sweat run down his face while his opponent stood up. But yet Kimaru was just sitting there like a terrified little puppy, hands shaking and eyes widened._

"_What happened to all that excitement and energy you had earlier?" I snickered. "Don't tell me that was all just a show and you're scared." I teased._

"_I am not scared!" he stated, finally getting up with his sword in hand. He was gripping it so tightly, his fingers were white and I thought the sword would just crumble up in his hands._

_He looked back at me. "Just do your best!" I mouthed, giving him a thumbs up._

_He stared intently at his opponent, without faltering his gaze. Probably giving himself a pep talk inside his head. His match was over in less than 10 minutes, with Kimaru giving the other guy a final hit to the head._

"_Don't you think that was a bit harsh? You could've given him brain damage," I said as he took his seat next to me._

"_His fault for having a bad defense," he shrugged, not really caring and just glad that it was over. "I wonder which Captain took interest in me...?" he wondered._

"_It's really hard to tell since they keep their expression the same most of the time. Except for the 11th squad Captain. Every time someone gets hit, he tries to suppress his smirk."_

"_Yeah, the 11th squad is violent. That's the one squad I know you won't be in for sure."_

_I laughed quietly, "Well don't think I'm some goody two-shoes who's afraid to get her hands dirty once in a while."_

_Our conversation soon ended as I was called up next, "Kurosaki Kinomi; Shira Hitaru, you're up! It's the last match, make it worth watching!"_

_Finally!_

_Shira Hitaru was one of the top 10 students this year, while I was only in the top 20. Now let's see how strong he really is._

_We continued staring, daring each other to make the first move. "Lady's first," he smirked. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass," I gripped my sword tightly with my right hand, while my left was loosely placed around it, just incase I needed to use Kidou. [I'm not gonna go into details, but it ended as a tie with both Kinomi and Hitaru panting and bleeding. But there weren't serious injuries.]_

"_Now that's a fight!" our Sensei cheered, popping up behind me, making me jump. He handed both of us white towels, which were soon stained red._

_The rest of the students stood up, stretching their muscles from sitting so long and scattered around talking with their friends. Some of them even went over and started chatting with the Captains who didn't have a 'come-as-close-as-two-meters-and-I'll-hurt-you' look._

"_Hey, girl!" someone said._

_I wheeled around to see the 11th squad Captain, Zaraki Kenpachi. Man, he looks like he's about to eat me or something. And now that he's closer, I noticed that he was also very tall._

"_Y-Yes?" I gulped._

"_What's your name?"_

"_Kurosaki Kinomi, sir," I bowed just a teensy bit, it wasn't really noticeable._

_He only smirked, "I like the way you fight. You're going to be in my squad."_

"_Huh?"_

_

* * *

_

"And that's how it happened..." Kimaru finished. "The reason Kinomi was in 11th division was because Kenpachi likes the way she fights and he was so scary and demanding that she couldn't say no. The End!"

"Eh?! That's so boring, Kimaru-Senpai!" Hina exclaimed.

He got an irk mark, "Well why don't you try telling it better than I did!"

I slapped him on the head, "Shut up and let's go. We need to sta-" But I was interrupted by a scream.

'Yumichika?!'

Sure enough, there was the bob-haired man in the air, screaming his ass off. Then a few seconds later, a firework exploded, replacing where Yumichika was.

"What the heck just happened?..." Makuno looked confused, still staring at the firework.

"My guess is it's one of the Ryoka," Tsukiro said softly, closing his eyes.

"Let's go then," I motioned for them to follow me.

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**okay, more stuff to tell you :]**

**i know a lot of people, including me, hate it when writers put too many japanese words in their stories so i'm not gonna do that. I'll just use the ones that most people know already and if you don't, well now you do :) I'll be using:**

**Taichou= Captain/Commanding officer**

**Fukutaichou= Vice Captain/Lieutenant**

**Hai= Yes/Okay/etc...etc.. :P**

**and of course names :] once in a while i might put "boke" or "baka" which means idiot for those who didn't know yet. it's all simple right? right!**

**be grateful that i'm not one of those people who put random japanese words in the middle of an english sentence. like that girl who was trying to tell me off on youtube... heh idiot :P lol i'm editing the next chapter in a few minutes... after i take care of those 50 something notifications i've been getting on facebook... .**


	5. 5: Why Does Omaeda Pick His Nose?

**I just like wasting room up here by typing random things :) sorry for the random title cause I suck as naming stuff (i named my pink skelanimal bat "pinky") but seriously, why does he have to pick his nose in public? . and then he sticks that same hand in a bag of chips xD**

**the title was gonna be "Why Does Omaeda Pick His Nose In Public?" but it was too long and it wouldn't let me type it in T.T i'll just stfu now so you can read :3**

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"Are you sure we're going in the right direction? It feels like we've been running for hours," Kimaru complained, leaning against a wall to catch his breath.

Tsukiro sent him a glare, "Well why don't you lead the way then? I'm pretty sure your sense of direction is better than mine," he added sarcastically.

Kimaru gulped, then decided to take the focus off of himself, "Shouldn't the person of higher seat lead the way?"

I scoffed, "As if I can find my way around in this maze! I don't get why they have to make this place so complicated, that even someone who's lived here for 40 years don't know how to get around."

Makuno looked like a dear caught in the headlight, "Tch, I never bothered to take my time exploring this place. And it's not like we're the only ones getting lost around here."

We shrugged, "Yeah, good point."

'Hm, I wonder how the rest of the squad are doing?... Hopefully they're finding their way around better than we are...'

A soft fluttering caused me to look up, "A Hell Butterfly?"

I raised my hand and it landed gracefully on my finger. After I got the message, I nodded and it fluttered away.

"What is it?" Kimaru asked.

I sighed, "All the Vice-Captains are here now so we're continuing the stupid meeting," I grumbled. "Just go on without me."

Using Shunpo, I arrived at the 1st division just in time. Looking around, everyone was here except for Yachiru, who was probably giving Kenpachi the wrong directions around Seireitei.

Lemura, the 3rd seat of the 4th division began speaking, "Listen up vice-captains, here is the periodic report. 11th division, 3rd seat, Madarame Ikkaku and 5th seat, Ayasegawa Yumichika, will draw back from the front line due to serious injuries. A detailed report of injuries on each division is still pending investigation. Also, there is a report stating that 11th division is near the edge of total annihilation."

My eyes widened, "11th division?!"

"No way..." Momo gasped.

"To cause this much damage in such a short amount of time after invading is impossible," Shuuhei said, finding it hard to believe all this.

"What a useless bunch!" Omaeda smirked, picking his nose. 'Ew...' -_-

Lemura continued, despite our murmuring, "There are three confirmed Ryoka up to this point, and according to the information, two of them have taken a member of 4th division hostage and are coming here. But since then, their spiritual presence can no longer be detected, and therefore their whereabouts are unknown."

From my right, I could feel Renji tense up and I dare to sneak a glance at him. His eyes were serious, something I have rarely seen before, and his hands were clenched into fists.

"Either way, it's necessary to collect more information," Rangiku stated.

Iba crossed his arms, "To tell you the truth, our 4th seat hasn't replied since either. I think he was defeated too, so go take a look around West 20."

"Isn't that Jiroubou?" I asked.

Shuuhei nodded, "That's right, Jidanbou's brother."

"What on Earth is going on?" Kira exclaimed.

I furrowed my eyebrows as everyone started talking amongst themselves. The Ryoka has caused so much trouble already and have encountered most squads except ours! I need to see for myself if one of them really is my brother! How can they cause so much damage yet I still couldn't find them?!

"Oi Renji, do you-?"

But he was already gone, with the door swinging back and forth slowly. Dammit... Don't tell me he's going after them by himself?! But if I follow him, maybe he can lead me to them. Heh, this is the best idea I've had all day! I quietly snuck out as well, not knowing that Momo had notice our disappearance.

Tailing Renji wasn't that hard, after all, he's the only guy I know around here with bright red hair. I just really hope he knows where he's going, or following him would've served me no purpose at all. He came to a stop at the stairs near the large white tower. "I know you're there, Kinomi," he said.

My jaw dropped, and here I thought I hid my reiatsu perfectly. Or maybe he heard me when I tripped and ran into the wall? I quickly closed my mouth and stood jumped down behind him, "Who are you waiting for?"

"I think you already know." He slid his glasses over his eyes and stared straight ahead, waiting for the fog to clear up.

"You know, your glasses will only get broken again," I sighed.

As the fog started clearing up, I saw 3 figures walking closer to us.

"Long time no see," Renji said, pushing his glasses up, uncovering his eyes.

"Hah! So you're just wearing the glasses cause you think they make you look coole-" he immediately clasped his hand over my mouth, "Shut up!" he whispered loudly, pushing me back to make sure I was completely hidden from whoever those 3 were.

He turned back to the figures in front of us, "Do you still remember my face?"

"How could anyone not?" I snorted, earning a slap to the head this time.

"I would love to forget it, but there's a mountain of stuff I have to repay you for, Abarai Renji."

I knew that voice anywhere, even though it got a bit deeper, I knew for sure it was him. 'Ichigo...'

Renji lightly smirked, "How surprising, you remember my name. Well done."

"Thank you," he replied, watching Renji descend down the stairs, not knowing who was walking behind him.

"Let's cut the crap shall we Ichigo? There's someone I want you to see," he stepped to the side, revealing my small figure.

I looked up, meeting his gaze.

"Ichigo..." I mumbled.

"K-Kinomi?" he stuttered. I nodded, "Hai."

We just stood there for a few seconds, staring at each other, not knowing what to say. While the other two people standing behind him looked back and forth between us.

"Hey Ichigo," the big guy in the green nudged him. "You know that girl?"

He nodded slowly, "Yeah... she's my sister..."

"Sister?!"

"I'll explain later," he said calmly.

"Whatever, just be careful. Both of their reiatsu is on a totally different level compared to the guys we fought earlier."

The shinigami boy standing next to him gasped and stuttered, taking a step back as Renji walked closer, "Th-They're both vice-captains! Abarai Renji from the 6th Division and Kurosaki Kinomi from the 13th Division!"

"Vice-Captains?!" the man gasped.

"I'm honestly surprised," Renji began talking. "I thought you had died from Kuchiki-Taichou's attack.

My eyes widened as Ichigo stepped forward too, and the man in green tried to get him to stop. "Renji... don't tell me you're going to fight him..." I called out.

"Soul Society's laws," was his only answer and then turned back to Ichigo. "I don't know how you survived, but you are something indeed. I shall compliment you on that."

"Wait, Renji, don't!" But my pleads were ignored.

I don't know how strong my brother is, but I do know how strong Renji is. The guy's practically Captain level! If they fight, BOTH of them are going to get hurt!

"Kinomi, say your goodbyes because I'll be finished with him soon enough," Renji growled. I shook my head, no this is not happening.

Ichigo glared, "Don't bother, Kinomi. We'll catch up later once I'm through with him."

They both pulled our their zanpakutos. "Looks like I'll have to force you to let me through!" Ichigo charged as Renji got in a stance. "Just give it a try!" he challenged. "Kinomi, you better stand back!"

"Don't tell her what to do, you bastard!"

"Shut up! As long as you're alive, Rukia won't be able to get her powers back!" Renji pointed Zabimaru at him.

"What do you, the one who took her back only to sentence her to death, have to say about that?!"

This was it. Their swords finally clashed and I was stuck watching the whole scene. The fight between my brother and my friend.

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**I'm still trying to get use to this site (so many buttons o.O) :3 Quizilla was easier lol**

**what's that thing about "deleting stale documents after 60 days"? by STALE, do they mean when nobody reads it or something?**

**sorry i'm just a newwwb sometimes :]**


	6. 6: Pineapple vs Strawberry

**merry christmas :] you get 2 chapters in 1 week! how awesome am i? jk lol**

**if i have time tonight, i'll write a crack fic :D**

***starts handing out panda bears and lollipops to the (probably) only 2 or 3 people who reads my crap* xD ily 3**

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It wouldn't be a lie if I said I felt helpless, which is something I've never felt before ever since being a shinigami. Ichigo and Renji clashed their zanpakutos once again, their reiatsu increasing sharply, causing the wind to blow my hair and my shinigami robes back violently. Figuring it would be safer, I walked around them and went to the other side with the shinigami boy and the man in green.

"They're not going to stop, are they?" I asked sadly, though I already knew the answer.

"S-Sorry, Fukutaichou," the shinigami boy said. "I'm Yamada Hanatarou from the 4th division by the way!" he said, trying to lighten up the mood, but it wasn't working.

"Oi, Ichigo! The opponent is a Vice-Captain! No matter how strong you are, you won't be able to win!"

"No, that may not be the case, Ganjyu." Hanatarou said. "Look closely! Ichigo-San is overpowering Abarai- Fukutaichou!" It seemed to be true as Ichigo pushed Renji all the way back to the giant stone wall where I was just standing earlier.

They were arguing, I could tell by their facial expressions and the way their lips moved. But before long, Renji pushed him back and released Zabimaru into it's shikai form. Judging by the way Ichigo's zanpakuto looks like, I'm pretty sure it's already in it's shikai form so this will make it a bit more even. I just hope they won't overdo themselves.

Zabimaru extended, throwing Ichigo back and the 3 of us quickly scampered away before he hit us, letting him fall through the wall instead.

"Ichigo!" I gasped.

"It seems you think you already know my strength just by fighting me once. Let me tell you something interesting." Renji pulled Zabimaru back and walked over towards him. "When we leave for the outside world, Vice-Captains and Captains like us limit our strength to it's lowest, so that we won't hurt innocent bystanders. The strength I possess now is 5 times greater than last time. No matter how strong you've become, there is absolutely no way you can defeat me!"

"Huh?"

I let out my breath. So Ichigo was concious, thank god.

"So you're telling me that was all you've got. It has no effect at all!" he walked back outside with his sword and a big bloody wound to the head.

"Are you... okay?" Hanatarou asked.

"Heh, I can take this," his eyes narrowed, never taking them off his opponent.

"A-Amazing... he's still standing in that condition..."

But Hanatarou was wrong. He was struggling, barely able to stand. Renji continued chasing after him, swinging his weapon, but all Ichigo was doing was running away and dodging. There was no way he could win if he keeps it up.

"Stubborn bastard. You want to rescue Rukia that badly?" Renji panted, stopping his attacks.

"Idiot, I don't **want, **to rescue her, I **will**!"

Renji was taken aback, his eyes widening with the intent to kill as he swung and extended Zabimaru once again, injuring Ichigo's right shoulder. "Rukia's sin became more serious because you stole her powers!" He pulled back his weapon, about to thrust it again for the final hit.

"Ichigo, you have to fight back or you'll be killed!" I screamed frantically. It must've knocked some sense back to him because he finally started blocking his attacks.

Something else was occupying his mind though, I could just see it. Did he figure out Renji's weak point already? But just as he was about to swing his blade at him, Renji moved at the last second, "I already told you, you can't defeat me!" and he landed a hit on his other shoulder.

"Oh no..."

Ichigo landed on his knees, listening to Renji explain how he evaded his attack. He smirked as he raised his zanpakuto, then bringing it down on him.

"Ichigo!" The 3 of us screamed. The cloud of smoke blocked our view of the battle.

'If Renji's reiatsu rises anymore, people are going to come here and they'll find Ichigo...' I thought. As much as I want this battle to be over with already, I didn't want either of them to be harmed anymore than they already were.

"He's alright!" Hanatarou announced happily, watching Ichigo stand up.

'But he wants to continue...' I furrowed my eyebrows, controlling myself not to hop in and give them both a good smack on the head. "His reiatsu..." my eyes widened as Ichigo's reiatsu started to rise too, blowing me back a bit. "Damn these two stubborn idiots..."

They were done standing and went back to attacking each other, but something was different about Ichigo. He just seemed... stronger than he was a few minutes ago... is that possible? He dodged Renji's first attack and before I could blink, Zabimaru was in pieces and Renji was struck by Ichigo's zanpakuto.

I was holding my hands against my chest, white from clenching them so tightly. Renji flew back, leaning on a broken piece of a wall for support, his hair tie had been snapped off and his glasses were gone. "Renji..." I whispered, he fell to the ground, blood splattering everywhere. "Renji!" I shouted.

He slowly got up, making his way over to Ichigo and grabbed him by the collar, "It's your fault Rukia got put in senzaikyuu!" he yelled. "When I thought of that, my insides began to boil. But... that's not it! It's because I didn't stop her! Back then, I didn't tell her to go the Kuchiki clan so she could become a death row prisoner. I thought she could be happy there. I _believed_ that! I wanted to surpass Kuchiki-Taichou, ever since that day... But I haven't beaten him once!" He was trembling now, barely able to hold himself up.

"Taking Rukia back by force was beyond my ability! Kurosaki...I know this is shameful, but I'm begging you! ...You better save Rukia!" Eventually, his gripped loosened and he fell.

The scene was so hard to watch I had to close my eyes. But then there was the sound of metal hitting the floor, followed by the sound of a body . "Ichigo!" I quickly ran over to them, checking their pulses. It was still beating, but they had lost so much blood so I was still worried.

"People are coming," Hanatarou warned. Ganjyu picked up Ichigo, "Let's go hide for now then."

Hanatarou nodded, "Are you coming or staying, Kurosaki-Fukutaichou?"

"I think I should st-"

I squeaked when I felt a pressure on my wrist, "Renji?! You're awake?" I brushed the hair out of his eyes to get a better look at him. "Go with them Kinomi."

"But you're injured!"

"So is your brother... Look, it's rare for someone in Soul Society to have memories of when they were still living, so take this chance while you still have it. I'll cover for you if anyone asks."

I smiled lightly, "Thanks Renji... I owe you!" I caught up with Hanatarou and Ganjyu, following them under a passageway underground.

"I didn't know there was such a place down here," I looked around. It was like a sewer down here, but it didn't smell bad and it also had lights on the walls.

Ganjyu laid Ichigo on the ground while Hanatarou started working on him. "How bad is it?" I asked, sitting down next to Hanatarou.

"Very bad..." he sighed. "I'll start healing him right away, but it'll take me a whole night."

Watching Hanatarou heal Ichigo was the only entertainment I had, and it was far from entertaining. I was laying on my stomach, my head supported by my tired arms. Only an hour through it, I was half asleep, my head nodding every so often.

"Oh, you're awake, Ichigo-San."

I snapped out of my daze and saw that he really was awake.

"Don't move around, your wounds haven't fully healed yet," he gently patted the bandages on his stomach with a tired smile.

Ichigo looked clueless, "Wounds?... I was fighting Renji and... Kinomi!" he shouted, sitting up.

"Shush, I'm right here," I waved with one hand, my head resting on the other.

He smirked, "You're here..."

"Well duh!" I rolled my eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"...Tired... But I have to find the others, they don't know Rukia's location!" he winced as he tried to stand up.

"Others? Who else is here?"

"Sado, Inoue, and Ishida... oh, and Yoruichi but you don't know him."

"Wait, are they shinigami too?"

He shook his head, "No, but Ishida is a...um... one of those... Quincy things..."

A Quincy? I thought they were all extinct?

He stood up and began to wobble his way over to his zanpakuto. "Ichigo-san, you can't move yet! You're not fully healed!" Hanatarou protested, but he was ignored. "Ichigo-san!"

I winced as a fist came out and smack my brother across the face, knocking him out and falling to the floor. "Sleep quietly until you're healed, idiot."

I winced, "Ganjyu!" And I really wanted to talk to him too.

"Darn it, now he's injured again," Hanatarou grunted, pulling Ichigo back so he could bandage him up again. "You're so violent..."

I dropped my disappointed expression, realizing that he was lucky enough to still be alive. That's when I noticed the mask laying in front of me. I had no idea why or even how Ichigo had it, but it looked a lot like a Hollow mask. He was lucky he had it though, or the wound on his shoulder might have been more serious.

"Um, Kurosaki-fukutaichou?"

"Hm?"

"Are you okay?"

"...I'm fine... I'm just wondering what's going on up there now that a Vice-Captain has been defeated. They're going to be more serious about this and won't take things lightly."

"Maybe you should go back up?" he suggested.

"Nah, I should be here when he wakes up," I said, looking at Ichigo. "Plus, I need to come up with a good excuse if they find out I'm not chasing the Ryoka with everyone else."

"Well in that case, maybe you should get some sleep."

I smiled, "Yeah... I should."


	7. 7: Road Trip to Senzaikyuu! & A CONTEST!

**:( i wanted to post this at midnight cause it was new years and crap lol my first story of 2010 :D happy new year!! i have more stuff to tell ya at the end of this chapter :D**

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Huh? Why is it so dark?

"Shoot!" I had just realized I fell asleep in the underground passageway.

The 3 guys were still sleeping so I thought it would be best if I didn't wake them up. I tightened the sash around my hakama and brushed myself off so it wouldn't look like I slept in it. Then tied my zanpakuto to my left. I was just about to run back the way we came from yesterday evening, but then I stopped and looked back.

"Ichigo..."

I really wanted to be there when he woke up and finally be able to just talk with him after all these years, but I know I couldn't right now. "Good thing I brought this," I pulled out a scrap of paper and a pen. Don't ask why I have it, I just do.

_Sorry Ichigo, I gotta get to my meeting before anyone realizes I'm gone. I'll find you after this is all over and we'll talk! Promise!_

_Love,_

_Kinomi :D_

I set the note under the mask and ran back the way we came from. Poking my head out from under the tile, I sighed. No one was nearby so I hopped out, remembering to push the tile back into place so no one else would find it.

Yawning, I stretched my arms high and then closed my mouth. "Now I wish I bought a watch. I don't want to be late, but I don't want to be too early either," I whined, slumping.

"Kurosaki-Chan!" Momo was running until she reached me, stopping and catching her breath.

"Hinamori? Are you heading to the meeting too?"

"Yeah, we're almost late!" she exclaimed.

"Oh great... let's hurry then."

She nodded and we ran to the meeting spot together. "I know a shortcut around here," she said. I nodded for her to go on. We ran up a few steps of the stairs and took a left into a gap between the stone walls. Then jumped up a roof then to the top of the white buildings, and over the railings.

"I think we should be alright now."

"You need to show me some of these shortcuts so I can sleep in longer before we have another boring meeting," I panted.

She chuckled and we walked side by side to where the other Vice-Captains were. "So did you hear? They're giving permission for Captains and Vice-Captains to carry their zanpakutos and fully release them... ever since what happened to Abarai-Kun."

"He was injured that bad?"

She nodded, "Yeah, Kira-kun and I wanted to take him to 4th division to get healed but Kuchiki-taichou made us put him in a cell for losing a one-on-one battle. I just hope he's doing all right..."

"Yeah, me too. Byakuya is such a jerk sometimes," I sighed, not bothering to use the proper title.

She laughed as we turned a corner and started running again, but then abruptly stopped. "You hear that?" I nodded, "Yeah, it sounded like... something's dripping..." I looked from side to side, checking for leaks in the wall. "I don't see-"

Hinamori let out a piercing scream, causing me to turn around, "What is...it...?" I narrowed my eyes and gasped.

There, high against the building, was Aizen-taichou held up by a sword in his chest and fresh blood still trailing down. 'Oh no, they're going to think the Ryoka did this! But Ichigo was with me the whole night and I'm sure Sado, Orihime, or Uryuu wouldn't do this. It's just plain murder...'

I couldn't believe it, I didn't think anyone in Seireitei would do something like this, and even if they wanted to, Aizen was a captain.

"Hinamori! Kurosaki! What's wrong?!" Izuru stood in front of us and shook us by the shoulders. "What is it?!"

"L-Look up..." I whispered.

Izuru, Rangiku, Shuhei, and Iba all looked up and gasped. Realization struck Hinamori in the face again as walked forward, and screamed his name, kneeling on the floor.

"What's wrong? It's quite noisy this early in the morning." We all turned around to see the fox like captain, Ichimaru Gin. "I see, this is something serious." With that grin on his face, I could never tell if he was being serious or joking around.

"Was it you?!"

"H-Hinamori?" I gasped as she pulled out Tobiume, charging towards the Captain. But before her zanpakuto touched him, Izuru jumped in between and blocked her attack with his.

They started talking lowly so that the rest of us couldn't hear, then Ichimaru-taichou walked away. She tried going after him, but Izuru stopped her again.

"Kira-Kun, move!" she cried.

"No!"

"Don't you understand the word move?!"

"Don't you understand the word no?!" he threw back at her.

"Snap, Tobiume!"

A giant flame shot from her sword, making a loud explosion and a dark cloud of smoke. I swear, people these days are just trying to blow me away during fights. First Renji and Ichigo's reiatsu, now it's a giant ball of flame!

"Raise your head, Wabisuke!"

This time, it was Toshirou who intercepted the fight. "Take them away," he commanded. Rangiku and I grabbed Momo, while Iba and Shuhei took Izuru. As we walked pass Ichimaru, Momo shot him a tearful glare.

"Sorry..." Rangiku whispered to her. She only whimpered in response.

We took her to the 5th division detention cell without a single word and locked her up. As Rangiku and I walked back outside, she stopped. "What is it?" I asked.

"Go on without me, I have something I need to do."

"Um... okay."

Heading back to the 13th squad barracks was the only thing I could do, at least till I get new orders. Everything was just a mess now and getting more weird by the hour, and Aizen getting murdered just topped it all off.

I looked to the sky, 'Ichigo and Zaraki-taichou's reiatsu... they're starting to fade...' I thought. I really just hope they don't kill each other. If only I could go and check out the battle, but I have to report back to my division soon or they'll think something was up with me.

I broke into a sprint, an indescribable expression on my face. There were barely any people at our barracks. Only the usual unseated officers who were just walking around. On my way to the Captain's room, I ran into my 3rd seats.

"Fukutaichou!" Kiyone exclaimed. "Is it true? About Aizen?"

I nodded, "Yeah, Hinamori and I found him this morning. Have you told Ukitaki-taichou yet?"

"We were just about to, come with us!" Sentaro pulled me along. Damn these people with so much more strength than me. Oh well, I was heading in the same direction anyways.

"WHAT?! Aizen was killed?!" Our captain yelled, clutching his head and sitting up. "When? By whom? Why?"

I winced as he started coughing again, "The culprit is still unknown."

"Why didn't you wake me earlier?"

"I was worried about your health, so I delayed the report!" Sentaro said loudly, bowing down even more. "Feel free to punish me as you see fit!"

"That's sly, Sentaro! Captain, that applies to me too!" Kiyone insisted.

"Ah, that's enough," Ukitake-taichou said softly, stopping them from glaring at each other. "In any case, it can't go on like this."

I looked up from my seat on the wooden floor, "What do you suggest we do, Captain?"

"We're going to Senzaikyuu."

* * *

**I was thinking of maybe a small contest? :D**

**CONTEST: the first person who can guess which anime/manga my 2010 calendar is from, I'll write you a one shot with your OC! but the one shot will have to be from an anime/manga i know :3 good luck! oh, and send your answer in a review ^.^**

**no, this isn't my way of trying to get more reviews lol i just don't bother to check my messages often haha**


	8. 8: Worn Out

**WARNING: THE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS MIGHT SUCK :P AND IF YOU RATHER NOT READ MY RANDOM STUPID LITTLE NOTES, JUST BACK AWAY FROM THE BOLD PRINT... xP**

**Winter break's over and I'm being all mopey and depressed looking again . Today's only the 1st day back and I already have homework from 2 classes!! .**

**In English, we had to list 3 goals and write how we'll accomplish them. Mine were:**

**1. pass math-listen to my teacher and do my homework no matter how boring it is  
2. don't repeat a grade level-just get good grades and stuff...  
3. get high school over with asap-just get it over with!!!**

**and my teacher said: Good job! **

**lol i'm really not that stupid, honest! i'm just too lazy to do anything... for example: right now, i haven't touched my homework yet and it's past midnight :P**

**

* * *

**

"Taichou, maybe you shouldn't have told Kiyone and Sentarou to stay in the squad barracks," I sighed as we headed over to Senzaikyuu.

"Hm? Why not, Kinomi-San?"

"I think they might be following us," I sweatdropped. 'Did he really not notice?'

He smiled, "Ah, at least we know they're loyal."

I inwardly sighed, 'He's not getting the point. I think the tuberculosis is getting deeper through his head. Whatever, I'm just curious why Byakuya suddenly decided to show up and do something.'

We were almost there and I could see 4 figures on the bridge. My eyes widened as I realized who it was. Ganjyu was on his back, bleeding badly, while Rukia was blocking Hanatarou from Byakuya, who was about to attack with Senbonzakura.

"Captain!"

"Just leave everything to me."

I nodded. Before the 6th squad Captain could attack, Ukitake-taichou grabbed his wrist, preventing him from doing so. I landed a few feet behind him, being careful not to get in the way.

"Dear, oh dear, so dangerous. Why don't you stop there, Kuchiki-taichou?"

"Ukitake-taichou," Rukia gasped.

"Howdy, Kuchiki!" The Captain saluted her, "You've lost a little weight. You okay?"

Byakuya turned around, obviously pissed off, "What do you think you're doing, Ukitake?"

"Hey, hey, that's my line. Releasing one's zanpakuto in a place like this is a class 1 forbidden act. Maybe it's the sake of repelling Ryoka, but what were you thinking?"

"By special wartime order, the release of zanpakutos has been permitted," he explained.

"Special wartime order?" my Captain turned around to look at me and I jumped a little and chuckled nervously, "Um... haha... I might've forgotten to mention that..."

He gave me a reassuring smile that said "don't-worry-about-it" and turned back around. Boy am I glad I didn't have a strict Captain like Byakuya.

"Ah, was the invasion _that_ serious?" But before he could continue talking, a strong reiatsu filled the air, blowing my hair everywhere as I tried to keep my balance. 'Geez, throw down a red carpet and some rose petals while you're at it, won't you, Ichigo?'

He appeared from under a bridge, flying in the air with the help of... that weird wing looking thing on his arm. He stayed airborne for a few more seconds before landing next to Rukia, then the flying thingy retreated back to that skull looking thingy. Where the heck did he get something like that?

"What's with that look?" he demanded. "I've come to save you, act a little happier."

She started scolding him about not coming to save her, but he didn't look like he even cared. "You can yell at me all you want later. But for now, all your opinions are rejected! Got that?!" he pointed menacingly at her.

"What kind of tyrannical way is that to save someone?!" she demanded. Behind her, Hanatarou looked lost in the situation.

I fought the urge to facepalm myself, why does Ichigo always find something to argue about?

Byakuya started advancing towards Ichigo, as he did the same, babbling about something. I tensed as Byakuya's reiatsu rose, my hair flying all over my face once again. I swear to god, I about to release Shuurei Tenshi on everyone who keeps raising their spiritual pressure to try and seem more intimidating!

I almost started laughing at Byakuya's expression when Ichigo blocked his attack. His eye was twitching so much I thought he was about to fall over and have a seizure. They tried hitting each other a few times, only to counter each other, until Byakuya started getting serious. He held his zanpakuto up, "Scatter-"

But before he could finish, a purple haired woman appeared and stopped him. "Long time no see, Little Byakuya," she stood up.

"Shihouin Yoruichi..." he stared at her.

I narrowed my eyes, I know I've heard that name before. Ichigo said she came with them to rescue Rukia, but I know I've heard of her from somewhere else. Even quicker than Byakuya, she leapt and dug her fist into the wound on my brother's stomach.

'I thought she was helping him?!'

She pulled it back out and he slumped over. Byakuya and Yoruichi began a game of "Tag", but she grabbed Ichigo and got away before he could capture her.

Ukitake-taichou tore his gaze from the sky back down to Byakuya, "Where are you going?" he asked as the noble stalked away. "Weren't you going to arrest the Ryoka?"

"I have lost interest. Do with them as you wish," he muttered, then disappeared around the corner.

"Man, oh man, he's just as spoiled as ever."

I turned around just in time to see Rukia falling over and caught her. "Hey Rukia, you alright?"

No answer.

I sighed.

"Hey, Sentarou! Kiyone! Get out here!"

"You called for us, Captain?" the said in unison.

"So you _did_ follow us. How long were you there?"

I chuckled lightly, watching as they came up with excuses. "Didn't I tell you not to come because it was dangerous?"

Sentaro stuttered, "Forgive me! I have such respect for you, sir, that I could not keep from secretly following."

Kiyone popped up and the two started arguing again... directly into my ear. "Anyway, Kiyone, contact 4th squad, Sentarou, put Kuchiki back in the cell, and Kinomi, check how that man is doing."

I nodded, heading to Ganjyu to check his pulse. He had one, but it was faint. "Captain," I spoke softly. He turned his attention away from Hanatarou. "What is it?"

"What are you going to do with the Ryoka?"

"I don't think I'll have much say about the situation, but we're keeping them alive. Since we don't know much about Aizen's murder, they might have some useful information," he walked over and put a hand on my shoulder in a fatherly gesture. "Besides, I heard the name of the orange haired shinigami was _Kurosaki _Ichigo."

My head snapped up immediately, "I-..."

He put his hands up with a tired smile, "Don't worry about it, Kinomi. I can't possible blame you for being related to someone. Guide the squad for the rest of the day and then go home and rest, I know this is putting a lot of stress on you."

"Hai..."

So I did what I was told, guide the squad while the Captain gets better and then get some rest myself. Now that I think about it, I am pretty worn out. I haven't gotten a decent sleep for a few days, and all I've been doing lately is running around everywhere.

"Kinomi!"

I yelped as I felt someone's hand grab my head, "What the hell was that for, you dumb idiot! What if you tore out my hair?!" I turned around and kicked Kimaru in the stomach, sending him into a wall.

"Geez, you're mean," he fake cried.

I sighed, patting my hair down, "So what do you want?"

He shrugged, "I forgot, but you were just sitting there on the roof, staring into space. So I thought something bad must've happened."

Oh, that's right. Some haven't been informed of what happened to Aizen yet. "Kimaru, if I told you, promise you won't panic and spread it around?"

"Promise!" he gave me a thumbs-up.

"We found Aizen this morning... dead..."

"...Seriously?" he gave me a look of disbelief. I nodded, "Seriously. Hinamori and I saw him first, then she saw Ichimaru-taichou and attacked him. But Kira stopped her and then Hitsugaya placed an order for us to lock them in their division cells."

He gave a low whistle, "That's cruel. All I've heard was that 5th squad was having trouble and the 11th squad were getting beat up so much, the 4th squad had to pull an all-nighter."

I stopped walking, "By the way, weren't you placed on the midnight shift?" I groaned when his face brightened up, "Oh, I remember now! I came here to tell you it was midnight already, so now you can go back while I take over."

"You are so lucky I'm too tired to punch you in the face."

* * *

**My 2010 calendar was... -drumroll- Naruto Shippuden!!! :P haha I was a Narutard before I was a Bleacher :) I would have rather gotten a Bleach calendar (mostly cause i wanted a picture of Byakuya, Renji, Ichigo and Toshirou -ahem-)... but i couldn't find one haha**

**So I'll be writing DarkFlame Alchemist a one-shot :) -You can choose from Naruto/Shippuden, Bleach, or Yugioh... because I'm a lazy dumb$$ who can't recall any other animes at the moment... and also because those three are the most I'm caught up with haha**

**I -heart- you people who review ^.^**


	9. 9: Alarm Clocks & Awesome Music

**The title of this chapter just shows how uncreative I am

* * *

**

"We have less than 12 hours before the execution," Yoruichi said with her arms crossed.

Ichigo panted and grunted, but continued fighting, "I can do it... I have to..." He blocked another hit from Zangetsu, who has materialized and was helping Ichigo learn how to release his bankai.

In a flash, Yoruichi had transformed into her cat form and left her clothes in a pile. "I'll be back in a little while."

"Where are you going?"

"To see someone. If you're going to rescue Rukia, you're still going to need help... even if you learn how to release a bankai," and with that she was off. Her black fur blended in perfectly with the midnight air, jumping from roof to roof, and finally arrived at the 13th division barracks without being noticed.

***

No matter how many times I rolled over, I couldn't get comfortable. No matter how many times I rubbed my head and messed up my hair, I couldn't shake off the many thoughts that ran around in my head. And no matter how many times I yawn, I couldn't bring myself to close my eyes because they would just open again.

"Kurosaki Kinomi... are you awake?" said a voice from outside my room, making me jolt in a sitting position. I quickly threw my sheets to the side and walk swiftly to open the door. "Yoruichi-san, what are you doing here?" I asked quietly, opening the door wider so she could crawl in, then slid it shut.

"If it's not too much to ask, I would like you to assist Ichigo tomorrow," she said, getting straight to the point.

"Assist? How?"

"He's trying to learn how to release bankai as we speak. Tomorrow, there will be lieutenants and captains witnessing the execution. When they see him, they'll attack him immediately, so your job will be to stall them while he gets Rukia to a different place."

"Hm... I guess I can do that..."

**Next Day...**

"What did I get myself into?!" I screamed inside my head. I had only woken up, and I realized that I was suppose to meet with Yoruichi and Ichigo in half an hour.

In some magical way, I managed to brush my teeth, get my clothes on, and run outside without any problems. Well, except that part where I ran into the wall... but whatever! And for some reason, I threw in a roll of bandages in my clothes. I had a feeling I would need them.

"Lieutenant!" Many squad members gasped or dodged to the side while I shouted apologies along the way. 'Why didn't I get an alarm clock? Why the heck did I never get an alarm clock?!' I started yelling random things inside my head again as I clumsily slipped Shuurei Tenshi in my sash, and stumbled away from the wall before I ran into it again.

Fights were already breaking out nearby... I could feel it. And the faster I meet up with Ichigo and Yoruichi, the faster I can find out what's really going on. Just as I was nearing Senzaikyuu, I saw my brother. "Ichigo! It's already starting! Where's Yoruichi?" I paused to catch my breath before we started running again.

"She said she was going to get here a little later."

I nodded, "...What's with the cloak?..."

He shrugged, "Yoruichi gave it to me. Apparently I can fly when I wear it."

We stopped talking after that, and as we got even closer, we saw the giant fireball that resembled a bird of some sort. "Ichigo, you have to go NOW! Fly or do whatever you were going to do and get Rukia. The moment Soukyoku touches her, she's a goner!"

He only nodded, "Alright, but you better catch up."

"You got it."

And in the blink of an eye, he was in the air. "Man, I've always wanted to fly..." I mumble to myself. "Damn it, Ichigo, you better make it there on time!" I squeezed my eyes shut and ran as fast I possibly can, though my heart was pounding fiercely, my legs were begging me to take a break, and my stomach was about to eat my body from the inside out. "Aw man, I didn't even eat yet!" I whined pathetically. 'Note to self: get an alarm clock!'

I sighed in relief as I reached the last step, and after I got through the small forest of trees, I was there just in time to see Captain Ukitake and Kyoraku destory Soukyoku and Ichigo slicing his zanpakuto through the stand.

"Oi, Kinomi!" he shouted, waving Zangetsu in the air with his right arm while holding Rukia with the other. Everyone turned their eyes on me. 'You just had to call me out didn't you?'

"Kurosaki! Are you working with him?!" Soifon demanded.

"Um..." before I could give her a proper answer, the guards behind me fell over with a grunt. "Renji? What are you doing here?" I asked. He responded with a groan and fell on one knee, stabbing Zabimaru in the ground to keep himself up.

"Hey, are you 2 ready?" Ichigo called, pulling Rukia up higher.

I gave him a thumbs up, "Yeah! Renji will catch her!"

"Wait-what?!" Renji was standing up now.

"H-Hold on a minute, Ichigo! You're not really going to-..."

"Look out below!" he shouted, tossing a squealing Rukia towards Renji, "Your freakin' insane!"

I stood calmly with my hands behind my head as Rukia crashed into Renji, throwing them back a few meters, "Hey, you caught her!" I cheered.

"Ichigo, you idiot!" Rukia shouted, tears still in her eyes.

"What if I didn't catch her?!" Renji gasped.

"Kinomi, Renji... get her out of here."

"What?"

"Don't just stand there Renji. Go. Now!"

Renji stood up with Rukia in his arms, "Fine, fine. Don't have to yell," he mumbled. "Come on, Kinomi. Or I'll leave you behind."

"Um, right." I ran and caught up to them.

***Awesome music starts playing while Ichigo and Byakuya are having a staring contest***

We weren't that far away from everyone, so we could hear them clearly. "Don't just stand there, you fool!" Soifon shouted. "All Lieutenants after them!"

"Oh crap..." Renji muttered.

"Keep running, I'll take care of them." I started pulling out my roll of bandages, quickly wrapping them from my knuckles to my elbow on both arms.

"Are you sure? There's 3 Lieutenants," he panted.

I scoffed then smiled, "Who do you think I am?"

"Just catch up to us later!" he ran off.

I slowed down to a stop and turned around to face Omaeda, Isane, and Sasakibe. "Get outta my way!" Omaeda growled.

"Sorry, no can do," I grinned, flexing my fingers. "You know I didn't even get a chance to fight during this whole time?"

"Kinomi, please... We don't want to have to fight you," Isane pleaded, but I only shook my head and grinned. She sighed, knowing I won't listen, "Run, Itegumo!"

"Bite, Gonryumaru!"

"Crush, Gegetsuburi!"

"Now this is fun." I flash stepped in front of Omaeda and punched him straight through his zanpakuto. That caught them off guard, so I knocked out Sasakibe next, and while Isane was still in shock, I got her too.

"Even without releasing your zanpakuto..." Isane mumbled.

"Good thing I brought these bandages eh? Otherwise my hands would be bleeding by now." I was about to catch up with Renji and Rukia, when Byakuya appeared out of nowhere so I had no choice but to pull out my zanpakuto to block his attack. "Kinomi, move!" I moved to my right and slipped away while Ichigo took my place.

"Later Byakuya! There is no way in hell I'm ever going to fight you!" I hollered, not bothering to add the proper title after his name. "And there's also no way I'm going to release Shuurei Tenshi in front of so many people," I added quietly, descending the stairs.

Though I've been in the Gotei 13 for a while now, only a few people have seen my zanpakuto in it's release form. And even a fewer amount of people know about his **true **form.

* * *

**sorry this took a while. but friggin winter break is over so i don't have much time on my hands. my awesome writing juices just seem to evaporate away because school sucks away my soul little by little every day :) plus, you already know, i'm lazy :P **

**i need more yugioh cards haha. i just got back into dueling again so kevin and i duel every wednesday in the last 15 minutes of french.**

**DarkFlame Alchemist: I'm gonna get ur one shot out as soon as i can!! ^.^**

**oh, and We The Kings is coming to my city a day after valentines day :D along with mayday parade and some other bands. i'm suppose to be promoting them and stuff but i can't if i don't find a friend to go with meeee . and i hate house of blues because we have to SIT! at java jazz, we usually stand in front of the left speakers and talk with whoever on stage is closes to us lmao xD**

**ok i'll shutty up now :) reviews are appreciated but don't be harsh because i know this isn't one of my best chapters .**


	10. 10: Shuurei Tenshi

**WHAT WOULD YOU DO FOR A KLONDIKE BAR? :D**

**(do they still make them?) sorry i'm so slow :P

* * *

**

"Let me go, Renji!" Rukia grunted, still being carried by him.

"Shut up! You're freakin running your mouth too much!" he barked. "Quit yelling while we're running away! What are we gonna do if they find us? EH?!"

I snorted, "I think _you're_ the one that's being too loud."

"Say it to my face!" he growled, turning around to face me.

"Shut up and keep running," I ordered. He grumbled something under his breath but didn't retort.

We reached the bottom of the stairs and made our way through the maze like path of Seireitei. I didn't know where we were running to in particular, and I doubt Renji knew either, but it was better than just standing there. Suddenly, I got a glimpse of a spark out of the corner of my eye. "That's... Captain Yamamoto..." I mumbled, slowing down to a halt and Renji stopped too.

"What is it?"

"Yamamoto is fighting Captain Ukitake and Captain Kyouraku."

He sighed, "I'm sure they'll be fine. We just have to keep running for now."

"...Right..."

But before we took another step, the small fire turned into a huge one. I gaped at it until Renji nudged me on the shoulder, "They're going to be fine. Stop worrying so much, those two are Captains for a reason."

I nodded and followed him. "Hey Renji?"

"Hm?"

"What do you think is going to happen? We can't keep running forever, you know."

He only shrugged, "Just go with the flow, I guess."

I rolled my eyes but said nothing more and just kept running. Renji, who was running in front of me, abruptly came to a stop, causing me to run into him. "What gives, Renji?" I rubbed my nose, stepping to the side to see...

"Captain Tousen? Why are you in a place like this?" Renji asked. The blind Captain stayed silent, and suddenly, large white bandages surrounded us. "Tousen, what are you doing?!" I shouted, but still no answer from him. In a flash, the four of us were back at Soukyoku Hill, clouds of dust surrounding us.

"Welcome Abarai-kun, Kurosaki-san."

'That voice...'

"Aizen? Ichimaru?!" I gasped. "What's going on?" The supposedly "dead" Aizen was indeed, standing right in front of us, with a grinning Ichimaru by his side.

Aizen chuckled at my confused face, "If you two don't mind, leave Kuchiki Rukia here with me."

"Captain Aizen..." Renji mumbled. "W-Why are you alive? What does this mean? Rather... what did you just say?"

"I believe I just told you to put down Rukia and leave," he replied.

I narrowed my eyes, "And I believe I asked you what's going on."

Aizen turned his attention away from Renji, to me. "You shouldn't be talking back to someone of greater power, Kurosaki-san." He said all that with the same face, which was, if I may say so, pissing me off. "I don't like that expression of yours..." he said, taking a step forward.

'And I don't like yours either.'

"Gin," he commanded. The fox like Captain nodded.

Before I could blink, I felt something jabbing through my stomach, and something warm running down my body. I held my breath, slowly bringing my shaking hand down to the part of my stomach where Ichimaru's zanpakuto had extended and shot through. Raising my hand up, I saw that it was clearly blood. Though my vision wasn't as clear as it was a few seconds ago.

Renji and Rukia could only stare at the wound, too confused to know what to do. "Kinomi..." Renji whispered only loud enough for us three to hear.

I whimpered when Ichimaru pulled his zanpakuto back out and withdrew it back to the size of a dagger. The breath I was holding was finally let out as I tried not to cry out in pain. I dropped to a laying position on my stomach, a pool of blood surrounding me. I felt numb and shocked, yet pained at the same time, knowing there was an unnatural hole in the middle of my body.

A low chuckle came from Aizen. "You're in the way, Kurosaki-san. Too bad you have to die again so soon." He took a few steps closer to me, "You know, I actually wanted you in my squad. So I could train and raise you the same way I did Hinamori... Obedient and loyal, just like a dog. And it would've been more fun to watch you break down so easily like she did when you found my 'body'. But, that Kenpachi decided to recruit you into his squad before I even had the chance to introduce myself."

He straightened himself up, turning his back to me, "But it's not a big deal. I'll just let your soul slowly slip away from this world, after all, you're just another rat that's standing in my way."

My vision was getting too blurry, but I knew he was definitely smirking. I knew in a few seconds or so, I would be knocked out completely...

_****sparkle**sparkle**sparkle****_

'_Where... am I?' This scene was very familiar; I was laying on a cloud. My vision was back to normal, my body was uninjured, and I didn't have any weird holes in my stomach. I immediately sat up, knowing where I was. "Shuurei Tenshi?" I called out for my zanpakuto._

"_Right here," he answered, appearing in front of me._

"_What am I doing here?" I rubbed my head._

_He only shrugged, "Who knows? Maybe your inner conscience wanted to come speak with me when you blacked out."_

"_But this __**is**__ my inner conscience!" I waved my arms around wildly, indicating to the endless sky and the fluffy clouds._

_He only nodded once. I pouted._

_That was one of the few things about him that bothered me. He usually doesn't talk much unless I ask him to explain something to me, or if I do something wrong and he goes all mother-like on me._

_They say that a zanpakuto represents the shinigami who wields them, but I could never think of any similarities that we share. For example, he really lives up to his name: Shuurei Tenshi, which means 'Graceful Angel'. It sounds a little feminine, but it does suit him. He's an ice-type zanpakuto who takes the form of an angel with wings and everything. He walks, runs, and flies without any effort at all, making him look as graceful as a single feather. Unlike me, who can't run a few meters without abusing a wall, tripping, or hurting myself. In fact, the only thing I think we have in common is that we both wear black._

_His clothing consists of snug fitting black clothes, with matching black boots, gloves that cover the back of this hand, a red strap (that wraps around his shoulder and under the opposite arm), a silver chain around his waist, and don't forget his black feather wings._

"_Kinomi," he placed a hand on my shoulder. "You should release me."_

_I looked up him, (he was a good 4 inches taller than me,) "I don't know how I'll explain it though. I've led almost everyone to believe that you're a melee-type zanpakuto. What would they think if they find out I've been lying to them all this time?"_

"_It was only a suggestion. In the end, it's your choice."_

"_I guess... So... how do I get out of here again?..."_

_He sighed and slapped his hand over his face.

* * *

_

**I've just been feeling...ick... these past 2 or 3 weeks, so stupid lazy me (**aren't i always lazy?**) didn't post this chapter till today... even though i was finished yesterday.. ehh and it didn't really come out the way i wanted it to T.T so i apologize if you don't like it**

**The one shot will be coming out soooooon!!!!! (i hope...) T.T i just need to edit some stuff but i promise it'll be out before I leave!**

**heehee, my spring break's on march 15-19, but i'm leaving on the 10th and not coming back till the 23rd or something. so my break is gonna last for 2 weeks! :D my mom and i are just going to visit some relatives and...here's another mini-contest for a one-shot :D**

**RULES:**

**First person to guess where I'm going for spring break gets a one-shot! Easy enough :P**

**If you win, just send me the name and description of your OC (because I only do OC pairings for one shots). Something like their looks, personality, etc.**

**HINT: It's not in the states :D**

**And hilary and laurie probably already know where I'm going so no guessy for you :P love u though :)**

**oh, and thanks to everyone who reviews :)**

**(someone needs to teach me how to shut up...)**


	11. 11: Larry Is My Best Friend

**Wish I had a friend named Larry...**

* * *

_One Week Later_

"Gahhh!" I groaned, digging my face into the pillow. "It's not fair. While everyone else was kicking butt, I was knocked out and now I'm stuck in the 4th division!"

"Shut up, will ya? We can hear you from the next room!" Renji complained, inviting himself inside my room.

"Why don't you just close the door then?" I stuck my tongue at him.

"The Captain needs fresh air!"

"It's a new invention called the WINDOW, Renji! And besides, when did you start caring about Byakuya?"

"S-shut up..." he mumbled. He walked back to his Captain's room, which was right next to mine, but not before slamming the door shut.

I pouted and sat up, "Well, this is great... Now I don't even have anyone to argue with. Looks like it's just you and me, Larry."

Larry was an ant I met about 2 hours ago. All he does is crawl from one end of the headboard to the other and listens to me complain about how bored I am. At least, I like to think he's listening to me. "So, how are you doing this crappy afternoon?" I asked, reaching my finger out and letting Larry crawl on it.

He didn't say anything. I knew he couldn't, but for some reason I was expecting him to. "Sheesh, be that way then-OW!" In a single second, Larry was just a tiny squished dot on the wall. "Yeah, that's what you get for biting me!"

So it didn't hurt that much... but still... he bit me!

"So who exactly bit you?"

I yelped and jumped. "Kimaru! What the hell are you doing here?!" Kimaru was draped on the windowsill lazily, with one leg propped up. He turned his head in my direction, "I don't see anybody else in here," he said, completely ignoring my question. "Were you talking to yourself again?"

"I was NOT talking to myself. Now answer my question!" I hate it when he always sneaks up on me and asks me a billion questions at a time.

He only shrugged, "I got bored since there wasn't really anything to do back at the barracks, and the Captain asked me to check up on you. So, before I forget to ask... How are you this fine afternoon?"

"Just peachy," I growled. He snorted and jumped in front of me to pinch my cheek, "Aw, is our little baby bored?" he cooed in a childish voice.

I shoved his hand away, "Are you ever going to stop with the nicknames?" I sighed as he only laughed.

"Not until we get a new recruit who's younger than you, but that might take a couple of centuries."

"Great..."

"Oh, I almost forgot! I bumped into Unohana when I came in. She said you could leave whenever you wanted to, as long as you don't train too hard for the next week or two."

"Yay!" I cheered, leaping off my bed and latched onto Kimaru's back. "Now I don't have to listen to that stupid red head next door complain everyday!"

"Kinomi! You're yelling in my ear-!"

"Oi Kinomi! I heard that!"

*

It took a lot of convincing for Captain Ukitake to let me see everyone off the next day. I guess he was just worried that I would open up my wound if I stood up for too long.

"This is the Senkaimon. It will take you back to your world," Captain Ukitake said as the gate glowed blue. "Kinomi, did you find it?"

I grinned, "Yep! Here ya go, Ichi!" I placed the object in his hand.

He stared at it confused, "Um, thanks... But what exactly is this?"

"It's the Substitute Shinigami badge. You can start using this to change into your shinigami form instead of using a Soul Candy," I explained.

"It's not much compared to what you've done for us, but-" Ukitake was cut off shortly. "I'll gratefully accept it then," Ichigo smiled, stepping closer to the gate. "Later!" He waved, and then they were all gone.

Everyone dispersed, getting back to whatever they were doing before. "Kinomi, don't work yourself too hard, or your wound will open up," Ukitake warned.

I gave him a thumbs up, "Don't worry about it, I'll be fine!"

He nodded and walked back to the barracks. As soon as he was gone, I dropped my smile and let out a heavy breath. "Something wrong?" A hand was placed on my shoulder and I immediately froze. "Jeez, you're so tense today," he scoffed and walked in front of me.

"Well, don't sneak up on me like that, Renji."

"I just wanted to know how you're doing. You look troubled."

We started making our way back to the maze like streets of Seireitei, which was almost empty since it was still early in the morning.

"So, what's wrong?" he asked.

I shrugged, "Nothing, really. I just feel... weird. Everything just feels so rushed and confusing, with Aizen doing what he did last week."

"Cheer up," he elbowed me in the ribs, which caught me off guard. "At least you got to see your brother, and I have a feeling he'll be back soon."

"Yeah, I guess..."

He took a hold of my wrist and started dragging me. "Let's go or we'll be late."

I raised my eyebrows, "Late?"

...

"YOU'RE LATE!" Ikkaku screamed as we reached the 11th squad barracks, a bottle of sake in his hand.

"Oh joy... you're half drunk already..." I mumbled.

"Hurry up, will you?" Renji lightly tugged on my wrist.

"Nah, I'm going home. Later!" I waved and tired to walk away as fast as possible. Which didn't really work out too well.

"Come on, shorty!" Ikkaku chuckled as he and Renji both grabbed one of my arms and pulled me inside. They forced me to sit on the patio and shoved a bottle in front of me. "I'm underage." I rolled my eyes.

Ikkaku rubbed his chin, "Hm... I forgot... Well, you can just watch us drink then."

I sighed and sagged my shoulders. I always get dragged into their little drinking parties and found no way to get out of it. And in the end, I'm the one who has to take them home.

Rangiku, Izuru, and Shuuhei were already passed out on the grass. While everyone else was at least half drunk, except for Yachiru who could've passed for being high, with all her bouncing around and shoving sweets down her throat.

Maybe I could sneak away once they all pass out... Nah, I would feel too guilty leaving them here by theirselves... But Yachiru will watch them... Yeah... This could work out...

Once I finished up my plans of escape, something struck me.

"Why the hell are you guys drinking this early in the morning?!"

* * *

**Heh heh, sorry for not updating for almost 2 months...**

**My brain went "blargrafshshshshs" on me and this is the best I can do for now**

**After this chapter, I'm gonna stray away from the original plot. Sorry, that means no Ulquiorra and no Grimmjow T.T**

**Wasn't life easier before you met me? :)**


	12. 12: Paperwork

**If anything, this is more like a drabble than a chapter :/

* * *

**

I sighed heavily while scribbling away at my paperwork, and resting my head on my free hand. _This is too much work for someone like me..._ _How the heck did I become a lieutenant?_

Not that I'm complaining about my position or anything, but being a 4th seat in 11th division was so much easier. Heck, just being in 11th division was fun. The only paperwork I did was write a small report on the missions I've been sent on, but that was rare too. Kenpachi always tried to burn or rip up every sheet of paper he sees in his division.

I shuddered, remembering that sadistic grin he always had on his face when he did his weekly burning. _Hm... I haven't seen anyone from 11__th__ division for a while. Not even Yachiru... Maybe I can visit when I have some free time._

"Kinomi-san," a gentle voice pulled me away from my thoughts.

"Ah, y-yes, Captain Ukitake?" I jumped a little when I saw the smiling Captain standing in front of my desk. _What is with these captains always popping out of nowhere?..._

"Here you go," he handed me a packet of at least 50 sheets of paper stapled together.

"What is this?" I asked, accepting the packet and another sheet of paper.

"A list of the laws and other stuff. Yamamoto wants everyone to review on it and sign that paper when you're done. It's due in exactly a week."

"I understand." I guess Yamamoto doesn't want a repeat of what happened last month with Aizen and the other 2 Captains.

Just when he was about to walk out, he stopped and turned around. "I know there's been an increase of work lately, but don't work yourself too hard."

I grinned, "Right back at ya, Captain."

He smiled, waved, and went back to whatever he was doing.

Not even a minute later, a certain redhead leapt inside my office through the open window. "Yo."

"What do you want, Renji?" I sighed, rubbing my forehead.

"Jeez, and I thought you would be happy to see me. Come on, let's go grab a drink. Rangiku's already got everything set up in her office," he nudged my arm, trying to sound convincing.

"For the last time, I don't drink. And unlike you, I don't ditch my work," I swatted his hand away with my pen.

"Goody Two-Shoes."

"Douchebag," I mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing!"

He grabbed my wrist, immobilizing it, and snatched the pen out of my hand... Only to throw it out the window.

"What are you doing?" I frantically tried pulling away, but with no luck.

"Relieving you of 2 weeks of wrist pain and headaches," he said as if tossing my paperwork out the window at the moment wasn't a big deal.

"Renji, you're going to get me in trouble!" I yelled, but was ignored. "Oi, are you listening to me?... Renji!"

"..."

"Bastard... FLY!"

Before he could blink, he found himself laying outside with the paperwork he threw out a few moments ago.

* * *

**Sorry for making you wait over 4 months and only ended up giving you this Dx**


	13. 13: Alcohol References

**eh... sorry it's kinda... short?**

**Longer memo at the end :)**

"-...around the 7th division and disperse...-"

I tuned out Sasakibe's boring speech about whatever the heck he was talking about, and I'm sure (almost) everybody else was doing the same. All available Lieutenants were gathered 2 hours ago to discuss about repairs and damages.

Though it's been a while since the Aizen-Incident, we haven't gotten much done and Seireitei was still pretty much a mess. (No thanks to the 11th division... not that I'm pointing fingers or anything.)

I jumped slightly when I felt something nudge my foot, it was none other than Renji, who was currently sitting across from me. His eyes shifted to where my arm was resting on the table and I noticed there was a note.

_'You look bored'_

I snatched a pen from the table and responded.

_**'Really? I haven't noticed'**_

_'No need for sarcasm... Wanna grab a drink later?'_

I inwardly groaned.

_**'For the last time, I DON'T DRINK. You're probably planning to get me drunk and rape me for all I know xP'**_

_'You have no idea ;)'_

A dash of pink flashed my cheeks, as I crumpled up the note and chucked it between his eyes when Sasakibe wasn't looking. Everyone else around us wasn't as oblivious though. Two seats in front of me, Rangiku was chuckling to herself, and Iba from across snorted in amusement.

Sasakibe cleared his throat to silence the mumbled laughter, "Here are the rough prints of each squad's assigned sections and the other squad you'll be working with. We start tomorrow morning..."

I glanced at the map handed to me and scanned for the number 13 along with the Snowdrop flower.

'Ah, near the West Gate... EH?'

Right next to the '13', was a '6' along with a Camellia.

* * *

'Sniff'

"What's wrong, short stuff?" Kimaru paused from hammering the roof to glance at me.

"It's not fair!" I shook my fists, which were clenching some large nails. Everyone nearby ducked out of the way so they wouldn't get scratched. "Out of all the squads, why are we the ones that had to work with the 6th division?"

"Aww, is Renji putting the moves on you again?" He snickered.

"No, he's not, and he never was!" I slammed the hammer dangerously close to his foot.

"Or maybe you were the one putting the moves on him... Now you're too embarrassed to be near him," Tsukiro stated calmly, walking past us with wooden planks piled onto his shoulder.

"Where's all this coming from?" I cried.

Kimaru shrugged, "You guys have been at each other's necks for a while now... Just thought something might be going on..."

"For your information, NOTHING'S going on!" A couple of nails slipped out of my hand and dropped on an unsuspecting victim below the roof.

"What the hell?"

"Oops. Sorry, Maku-chan~!"

"It's Makuno!" he retorted.

Kimaru crawled to the edge of the roof and leaned over on his stomach, "Maku-Maku's being a little brat again," he teased, but was cut short when a hammer flew up and hit him right in the face, leaving a red mark. "Is that any way to treat your superior?" he shook his fists at him.

"When the superior is being an absolute idiot, then yes!"

"Ooh, he's got you there!" It was my turn to laugh. "You might wanna ice that later."

"I know that!" he growled.

Hina just happen to pass by below us and heard the commotion. "Kimaru-san, what happened to your face?"

Makuno and I started snickering again and he groaned, "Don't ask, Hina..."

"Makuno threw a hammer in his face," Tsukiro stated, appearing next to her.

"When did you get down there?" Kimaru and I exclaimed.

* * *

One of the things I like about Seireitei, is that I could walk around in the middle of the night without worrying about getting stalked or harassed...

Except maybe for a couple of random drunkards here and there...

But they're harmless...

Most of the time...

Anyways, I was heading back to the squad barracks after a long day working at the West Gate. The damage was worse than we thought, so we're probably gonna be stuck there for at least a week. A lot of squad members were out on patrol in Rukongai and the world of the living, so that didn't help either.

"Hey."

A hand grasped my shoulder firmly, sending my heart into a frenzy and ready to attack whoever it was... which is exactly what I did.

"What the hell?"

"R-Renji?"

The redhead was sprawled out on the ground with a small trickle of blood running down his nose. "Geez, do you always go around punching people like that?" he grunted, pushing himself back to a standing position.

"Well, when idiots like you pop out of nowhere and scare the crap out of me, yeah!" I put a hand to my chest, feeling my heart slowly falling back into it's regular beat. "What are you doing out so late anyway?"

He fell into step beside me, "I should be asking you the same thing. You know what kind of drunk idiots are out here grabbing people from the shadows?"

I fought the urge to roll my eyes, "Of course I do. Hisagi-san, Captain Kyoraku, Kira-kun, Iba-san, Ikkaku, Kimaru, and most recently: You," my finger was at his chest as we stopped walking at an intersection.

"W-what? I'm not even drunk!"

"But you're, and I quote, "grabbing people from the shadows"."

* * *

**Well, that's a crappy way to end a chapter... that's too short to even be called a chapter -stabbed-**

** I've been saracastic and annoyed lately so maybe this kinda reflected off of my mood :( Ah, whatever... I feel accomplished because I finally updated :D WORSHIP MEEEE! BWAHAHAHA! ahem-...**

** I wanted to show a bit of Kinomi's relationship with my other OCs, but I didn't want to update without any Renji in it (it is a Renji story afterall) And I didn't really think through it when I was typing this up... just randomly inserted whatever came to my mind at the time.**

** And if you're wondering about the title of this chapter well... heh heh... I was playing Bleach: The 3rd Phantom, and I looked at the back of the game and in the rating box, the first thing that's written was: "Alcohol Reference" and I couldn't stop laughing for awhile. Cause we all know that Bleach wouldn't be the same without the drunks xD whom I love... A LOT :D and that's when the alcohol references were inserted in this chap. **

** Reviews would be great even if this isn't my best chapter :)**


	14. 14: It's Saturday?

**Thank you, Rebecca Black. I was able to finish this chapter because of your song playing repeat on demand in my head.**

* * *

Captain Ukitake wasn't feeling so well today... Which means I was stuck with his paperwork (again), but since I was in charge of the group that was repairing the West Gate area, I had to take all of the paperwork with me. And when I say "all" of the paperwork, I mean ALL of it. There was so much that Kimaru and Makuno had to help me carry it to my temporary "office", which consisted of a plain desk and chair placed outside. It was partly my fault I had so much, though. I guess I've been slacking off lately. But never mind that, doing paperwork in the shade means means NO grunt work in the sun!

"Have fun hitting nails for 9 hours, suckers!" I grinned, placing rocks on the stacks of papers so they wouldn't blow away.

"Lieutenant~ Would you like some help with all that paperwork?" Kimaru cooed.

I stuck my tongue out, "Nice try, Maru-chan~!" He cringed at the nickname.

"How stupid do you think I am? When you call me by anything that doesn't have a reference to me being short, I know you want something. The answer's: NO. Now get your ass back on the roof and start fixing something."

"That friggin' midget..." he mumbled while walking away, thinking I was out of earshot.

That remark earned him a rock to the back. "Hey!"

"My hand slipped," I smirked. "I need that back by the way... before the papers start blowing away."

He chucked it at my head, but I caught it before it made contact, "Thank you~!"

He walked away, mumbling again.

One thing I can't stand, is the heat. Of course I don't like paperwork. Who doesn't? But I'd rather work in the shade than in the blazing hot sun any day.

"Want some help with that paperwork?" A voice hummed in my ear.

Thinking it was Kimaru, I swung my fist back to hit him, only for it to be caught. "You seem to have a habit of hitting me lately."

Renji.

"Maybe it's because you're the one who has a habit of popping out of nowhere," I retorted. "Friggin' pineapple head..."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"...So, back to my question: Want some help?"

"No thanks." If he helps me finish this before it's time we go back to the barracks, then I'll have to go back to working in the sun. "Why don't you help those girls from your squad over there?" I pointed at the small group of girls who "forgot" to bring the ladders and need a certain lieutenant to help carry them to the roof.

Renji snorted, "They can help themselves."

I smirked, "You're so cruel, Lieutenant Abarai... Ignoring your subordinates when they're in need of your help."

"Like you should be talking! I bet you're planning to sit here all day and watch your squad do all the grunt work."

"Well, unlike you, I actually have something important to do," I indicated to the papers, smirking when he struggled to find his own excuse.

"That's what I thought. Now go annoy someone else."

* * *

**POV CHANGE?**

**(Change... OVER!) Been watching too much P.o.T...**

"Renji~!"

"Rangiku?"

"Hi~!"

Renji sighed as he watched her prance into his office before settling on top of his desk. After a long day of work, he definitely didn't need this in the middle of the night. He swore his paperwork have been breeding since he left this morning. "What do you want?"

"Seems you've been annoying our dear Kinomi lately," she wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive way.

"Well, if I have to work with her from now on, I might as well get some fun out of it."

She giggled, "Aren't you having enough fun just seeing her everyday?"

"Huh?" he had a dumbfounded look on his face which made Rangiku roll her eyes.

"Oblivious bastard," she muttered, jumping off his desk and stomping back outside.

Renji scoffed, "What the hell's her problem? Tch, didn't even bother closing my door," and he stalked over to slide the door close before he heard Rangiku squealing. "Ki-no-mi-chan~!"

He leaned outside just to have a body shoved roughly into his chest, knocking him to the floor . "Get some, Renji!" Ranigku cheered, lighting a small blush to his face.

"Don't be too excited, Pineapple. The only thing you're getting is paperwork," Kinomi sighed, handing him the stack of papers. She pushed herself up and peered inside his office, "You're not done with the ones I gave you earlier?"

He snorted, "Gee, what gave me a- **You **put all these papers in here?"

"That's what I just said, didn't I? You better hurry, I just finished all my work so I have the next few days off," she smirked. He smirked right back without hesitation, "Don't forget about your captain's work too."

"I didn't. I just delivered them to Captain Kuchiki."

His eye twitched, 'Damn this girl... She's fast...'

She turned around to make her exit, "Well, if that's all you wanted to say, later!"

He twitched again, watching as she practically skipped away.

"You've got to put more manliness into it, Lieutenant Abarai!" Rangiku popped out from the corner just down the hall, running over to stand in front of him.

Renji groaned and rubbing his forehead, "Why are you still here? I've got enough to deal with," he pointed to his office. She laughed and gave a loud snort... Now that he looked closer, Rangiku's face was flushed and her words were slightly slurred. "Are you drunk?"

"Nooooo! Don't accuse me of such things! Here, have some sake!" She stuck her hand in her uniform and pulled out a bottle of sake from her, uh, chest.

"I was in enough trouble last time I drank in here! Take it back and leave!" he shoved the bottle away.

She shoved it back, "B-But... I brought it just for you!" She pouted, waving her finger around absentmindedly.

"Just leave before we both get in trou-"

"Abarai," a deep voice echoed from the other end of the hallway.

"Captain Kuchiki," he gulped, watching his captain walk briskly towards him, followed by... Kinomi?

"Eh? Didn't you just leave?" he pointed.

She rubbed the back of her head with a sheepish grin, "Yeah... but I forgot to give the rest of these papers to your captain," she showed him the small stack before heading to the office to set them aside.

Before he noticed, his captain had appeared right beside him, staring harshly at the bottle of sake. "Abarai..."

"I-I can explain-!"

"Weeeee~!" Rangiku was now having fun on a spinning chair she dragged out from the office. Renji could have sworn he saw Kinomi laughing silently when she came back out.

"Abarai, escort her back to the 10th division, if you may..."

Translation: "You better take her back right now or I'll Senbonzakura your ass"

"Y-Yes, Captain," he bowed before attempting to tug Rangiku off the chair.

"It's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday~!"

Kinomi raised an eyebrow, "Um, Rangiku-san, Friday was yester-"

"Yesterday was Thursday~! Today it is Friday~!"

"Abarai..."

"I'll take her back right away, Captain!"

"Partyin' Partyin' Yeah! Fun fun fun fun~!"

"...I'm going home..."

* * *

**Yerrrr I know the day I published this chapter wasn't on a Friday... or Saturday... whatever it says above...**

**You know those annoying people who's always singing Friday when it's... well, Friday? And then making a variation of the song every other day of the week? Yeah, I'm one of them xD  
Sorry, I couldn't help it. I had to spread the mood around. Thanks to Rebecca, I think everyday is Friday... o.O**

**It's been... almost 4 months... yeah, I really have no excuse besides the usual "school", "i'm too lazy", and the new "tennis tournaments keep me away"  
Don't you just feel like hunting me down and choking me with a santa hat in my sleep? THE GAME! :D**

**I was checking the story traffic for the last chapter and was like "DAMNNNNNN..." almost 200 people clicked it on the firsy day it was published.**

**YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU GUYS RIGHT?**

**My toilet paper smells like cucumbers btw...**

**So... is the song stuck in your head now?**


	15. 15: Spying Is For Morons

**Finished writing and posting around 2:00am. Sooo sorry if there are typos. It's late and I'm struggling to stay awake.**

**I've been trying to get back to my usual sleep schedule before school starts so I don't go back on the first day looking like I was busy getting high and drunk.**

* * *

"Is it just me, or is it hotter than normal?" I groaned, dropping into a laying position under a tree.

I was in a forest somewhere out in Rukongai; the same forest I use to train in when I attended the academy. But now, it was like my own sanctuary that I use to meditate and talk to my zanpakuto. It was actually quite beautiful despite it being secluded from the rest of the population. Everything seemed much more peaceful here. The trees look greener, the water looks cleaner, heck, even the bugs look nicer... Which reminds me, I need to find a replacement for Larry, my dead ant.

"Shuu-chan~" I whined, using the nickname I gave to my zanpakuto.

"_Don't call me that,"_ he growled, appearing next to me in his spirit form. He stood leaning against the tree that was providing me shade, and stretched out his wings. _"You haven't been training recently."_

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, "I haven't had any time. There's still a lot of work to be done ever since Aizen defected."

"_Well, then, train right now."_

"What?"

"_There's a lake not too far from here, right? I am an ice type zanpakuto after all, and training with water will improve your skills."_

Before I could protest, he tucked his hands under my arms and pulled me up. "This is so not fair. Today's my free day," I mumbled as he effortlessly carried me to the lake.

* * *

Two hours later I found myself walking back into Seireitei drenched in sweat and water, and leaving puddles everywhere I go. Fortunately, I didn't pass by too many people, and the few unlucky ones who even took a small glance were pushed back by my glare.

"What happened to you?" Ikkaku snorted as I walked past the 11th division where he, Yumichika, Renji, and Iba were sitting around, probably taking a break from training.

"Nothing," I growled, gripping Shuu tighter. _"Ow, that hurts," _he drawled sarcastically. It took every fiber of my being not to throw him down right there, and stomp him to a million little pieces.

"Oi, I was talking to you," Ikkaku grabbed me in a headlock before I could walk any farther, and dragged me to where the guys were sitting.

Well, so much for trying to get back to my room unnoticed.

"Hm... that's not very beautiful. A lady shouldn't walk around with clothes like that."

"I didn't ask for your opinion, feather-brow," I glared at Yumichika, while pulling at my clothes as an attempt to stop them from sticking to my body. Damn, it's so uncomfortable.

Iba and Ikkaku laughed at Yumichika's expression to his new nickname, while Renji's gaze never left me. "W-what are you looking at?" I asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Was there a piece of seaweed still clinging to my hair? Did a fish slip into my sleeves?

A smirk suddenly broke out on his face, replacing the concentrated stare. "Heh, what do you know? You actually have some curves under those robes."

It was my turn to be laughed at as a blush rose to my face. "You're a fucking pervert!" I leaped up from my seat and slammed my zanpakuto on his head with just enough force not to crack his skull open. The sheath was still on, of course.

The guys were still laughing as I started making my way home again. I sighed, "How could I have ever been placed in the same squad as these morons?" I glanced at them behind my back and was met with a wink from Renji instead. I huffed and turned back around, "Jerk..."

* * *

I happily skipped from the bathroom to my bedroom, clad in clean and DRY clothes. Many of the members were use to my weird habits by now, and just pretended I was walking like a normal person... and not tripping over that right corner every time I go back to my room.

They winced.

"Son of a cow! Stupid wall!" I yelped, sliding down the wall while clutching my bare foot. "I should have brought my shoes..."

"Lieutenant," A deep, yet soft voice sighed. Standing in front of me holding an ice pack, was no other than Tsukiro. I grinned up at him and accepted it, placing it on my swollen foot, "Have I ever told you you're my favorite 9th seat?"

"Is it because the other 9th seat is always assigned in the world of the living, so you've never met him before?" He crossed his arms.

"...Possibly... but you'll always be my favorite~!" I sang, enjoying his 'i-wanna-get-the-heck-out-of-here' expression.

"I'll be going now," he sighed, walking away with a slight wave.

I was just about to get up too, but a familiar little someone decided to run down the hallway while my uninjured foot was still outstretched. Yeah, he tripped.

"No running in the hallway unless you can handle it, Maku-chan~" I snickered when he landed flat on his face while still holding the stack of paperwork in order.

"Gah!" He shot up in a sitting position, slammed the stack of papers on the ground and clutched his nose.

"Here," I waved the ice pack in front of his face.

"Ew, that was on your foot."

I rolled my eyes, "I just got out of the shower and the floors were just cleaned. It's not like I'm telling you to swallow it."

He only sighed and accepted it.

I raised an eyebrow, "Aren't the 3rd seats suppose to be handling paperwork on my free days?"

"Yeah, but they're too busy babying Captain Ukitake, so Kimaru's in charge. Of course, out of all the people here he makes US do it!"

"Us?"

"Hina and I."

"Well, do your best!" I cheered and got up to leave before he convinced me to help.

"Wait! Abarai is at the entrance. He was looking for you."

My eyes darkened. That pervert!

"Time to give that pineapple bastard a piece of my mind!" I shouted, raising to my feet and pumping my fist in the air.

"Oh? Who is this "pineapple bastard" you speak of?"

"Abarai Renji!" I yelled without looking behind me to see who the voice belonged to.

"Is that so?"

I gulped, turning around slowly with my fist still in the air. "H-how did you find me? There's like a million hallways in here."

"I could hear you screaming something about a wall all the way from the entrance," Renji smirked, poking me in the forehead repeatedly.

I swatted his hand away, "What do you want?"

"Thought you might have needed help getting out of those clothes," he grinned.

"I'm fine, thank you," I growled, trying to shove him out of the way, but he wouldn't budge. "Do you mind?"

"Yeah, I do. So, where's your room?" He asked, looking around as if there was a giant sign with an arrow that read 'Kinomi's Room' posted up on the wall.

Before I could tell him to get lost, Makuno had opened his big mouth. "It's right around the corner."

I shot him glare, which sent him scampering off, while Renji pulled me in said direction.

* * *

**With Makuno**

Makuno quickly dashed to the office to tell everyone what he just saw... and also to bring his paperwork in on time because Kimaru was on "PMS Mode" whenever he's in charge.

"Quick! Abarai and Kinomi are-" He was interrupted by a random book thrown in his face, knocking him over in the process.

"Where the hell have you been?" Kimaru shouted, leaping up from his chair and slamming his hands on the desk. "You're 4 minutes late, you slacker!"

Makuno groaned. Why must his face always be the target of abuse?

"But-"

"No 'buts'! Do you want to be on cleaning duty for the next month?"

Makuno glared and threw the book right back at Kimaru's head. "Shut the hell up, you pathetic moron!"

"Um, Makuno-san, what did you say about Abarai and Kinomi?" Hina spoke up, stopping the two guys from strangling each other.

He had a blank look on his face before realization hit him. "Ah! Kinomi and Abarai!" he shouted, dragging Hina and Kimaru backwards by their wrists toward Kinomi's room.

"Hey, what are you doing? Let me goooo!" Kimaru shouted.

"Makuno-san, slow down!" Hina squealed.

Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare, and those inside their rooms came out to see what the commotion was about. The same thought ran through all of their minds, "Is our lieutenant starting to rub off on them?"

"Watch it, you brat!" Kimaru grunted as his head barely missed the wall.

"Shut up and listen!" Makuno whispered loudly, letting them free and crouching next to Kinomi's door. "Abarai's in there with her... **alone**."

This made the other two take the same position as him.

"Makuno," Kimaru's tone was low and serious now. "Details, NOW."

"Well..." Makuno tapped the side of his head, still a little dazed from hitting his head twice in 5 minutes.

"I saw Abarai at the entrance when I came back with papers from the 10th division. He said he was looking for Kinomi so I decided to tell her on my way to the office. I ended up bumping into her on the way, but Abarai found her by the time I told her he was here. He mentioned something about taking off her clothes and dragged her inside her room. Then... that's about the time I started running back to the office." He finished and nodded his head, while Hina and Kimaru stared at him in disbelief.

"Heeey, don't leave me like that~!" A drunken voice slurred behind them, ruining the suspicious atmosphere.

"M-Matsumoto-san? What are you doing here?" Kimaru exclaimed.

She set her bottle of sake down before crawling over to the trio. "You guys left me in the office!" she cried.

They all raised an eyebrow.

"Matsumoto-san, I'm pretty sure you weren't in the office," Hina said quietly.

"Oh yes, I was!" she giggled and snorted, making them jump slightly. "I was in the supply closet. I have a secret stash of sake in there, and it's one of my many hiding places from my captain. Oh, but don't tell anyone~!" she giggled again. "Eh? What are you guys doooing?" she sniffled. "Why are you leaving me out of all the fun~?"

She looked like she was about to cry until Hina patted her back, "We're eavesdropping on Kinomi and Abarai-san. You can join us if you want."

Matsumoto immediately sobered up, a perverted grin stretched across her face, "Eh? I bet they're doing the naughty in there. Hee hee~!" She grinned even wider when the three had small blushes on their faces.

"O-oi, don't joke around like that," Makuno stuttered.

"Yeah, Kinomi-san wouldn't do that... right?" Hina added.

"Hm..." Kimaru tapped his chin. "I'm sure she wouldn't in normal circumstances, but this is Abarai we're talking about. Who knows what he's capable of..."

"It seems our dear Renji has finally decided to make a move," Matsumoto sighed overdramatically.

"But she's still innocent!" Kimaru cried, going over to "overprotective mode". "Don't worry, I'll save you!" he leapt towards the door, but the others pulled him back before he made contact, and crawled to a safer distance where they won't be heard.

"Shush, boy," Matsumoto crushed his face in her chest to muffle his shouts for breath, and not letting go until he was about to pass out.

"So, what are we suppose to do?" Makuno asked, looking back to the door. "We can't let them know that we know what they're doing, but we can't just let them..." he struggled for words.

"And what exactly are they doing in there?"

The four looked up to a new voice.

"Tsukiro-san?" Hina blinked innocently. "Do you know anything about... that?" she pointed at the door.

He sighed, "No, and I don't plan to. Will you all please get back to your work and stop meddling in others' affairs?" He was about to walk away until Kimaru stopped him.

"Oh? So, you aren't the least bit curious about what Kinomi and Abarai are doing in there?" Kimaru waggled his eyebrows.

Tsukiro was glad his back was turned to them, or else they would've seen the indecisive look on his face. He wasn't one to stick his nose in others' business, but at the same time, the curious side of his mind was begging him to stay...

"I'm only here to make sure you don't cause any trouble," he sat down with his arms still crossed.

"Whatever you say," Matsumoto sang. "Now, what's the plan?"

The group of 5 huddled in a circle, throwing ideas left and right, but none of them would agree with each other.

"I say we just barge in," Kimaru nodded, while everyone else shook their heads.

"No way, you idiot. What if we interrupt them in the middle of "something"?" Makuno slapped him on the head.

"We can drill a few holes on the wall and take a peek," Matsumoto suggested.

"You're just plain perverted," Tsukiro sighed, finding that he's been doing that a lot today. "Are you guys even sure they're doing "something" in there?"

They all nodded quickly, and told him what Makuno heard earlier.

"I still think you're overreacting."

This time, they shook their heads so much, he was sure they were about to detach from their necks.

"Oi! Abarai Renji! Are you here?" Another new voice rang out from the other end of the hallway with someone following him.

All 5 of them rushed to tackle the duo down. "Shut up, Ikkaku, you stupid baldy!" Matsumoto slapped his head repeatedly, with him screaming for her to stop.

"What is the meaning of this?" Yumichika hissed. "You're wrinkling my clothes!"

Once again, the whole entire situation was explained again, now forming a group of 7. And again, they had to move even farther away from the door.

"So, what are you doing here anyway?" Matsumoto questioned.

"Abarai left his lieutenant badge thingy at the training grounds," Ikkaku said, showing them the badge. "We went to the 6th division to look for him, but some newbie said he already left for the 13th division and here we are."

"So anyway, how long have they been in there?" Yumichika asked, indicating towards the door.

"Just past 20 minutes," Makuno answered.

"Somebody please remind me why we're doing this again?" Tsukiro growled. He was beginning to get irritated by how many people there were, and almost half of them weren't even from this squad. "If you want to find out if they're really doing anything in there, why don't you just knock on the door and ask?"

"No!" Makuno protested. "We can't give them any kind of warning! They'll have time to fix themselves up and convince us nothing happened!"

Matsumoto nodded in agreement, "That's why I said we should drill some holes in wall and look. They won't suspect a thing!"

Ikkaku scoffed, "Tch, we should just break down the door let ourselves in. The element of surprise is the best way!"

"That's what I said, but they wouldn't listen!" Kimaru whined.

"We could always ask them whenever they leave the room?" Hina suggested quietly, and Yumichika agreed, "Can't you people just be a little patient and wait until they leave the room? We can interrogate them later instead of dirtying our hands now."

Kimaru rolled his eyes, "What a great idea! That is, if they ever leave at all!"

Tsukiro looked off to the side while the other six continued their idiotic schemes and sarcastic remarks. Why did he feel like he was the only normal one here?

"Ah, you're not doing it right!" Kinomi's voice was heard from her room.

Everyone quieted down and quickly crawled over to place their ears against the door or wall. Blushes were evident on their faces as the conversation continued.

"What do you know? I've had more experience than you!" Renji exclaimed.

"Yeah, right," she snorted.

"It's all in the wrist," he chuckled.

"You're making all of this up. You've never done this before!"

"Well, neither have you!"

"Oh, yeah?"

"Oh, yeah!"

Everyone pulled away and rushed back to their "base" a few meters away from the room.

"Still think nothing's going on?" Kimaru questioned Tsukiro.

"There... must be a logical explanation to all of this..." He rubbed his temples. Was he really about to be proved wrong by these morons?

"They're about to do "it" but they're both inexperienced! There's your explanation!" Matsumoto exclaimed.

The group of seven was silent. No one knew what to say or do, and it would get pretty awkward whenever they saw Renji or Kinomi again.

A few minutes past before the door opened, making all of them jump and stare at the two walking out.

"Renji. You. Suck." Kinomi growled.

The red head could only grin. "Sorry for getting you wet, princess."

"Ha ha, you're so funny. You're just lucky I had spare clothes or I would've kicked your ass," she poked him in the chest.

They both stopped walking when they saw the group practically cuddling with each other in the hallway.

"Um, what's wrong?" Kinomi asked, looking at all their expressions. Scared, disbelief, shock... 'What the hell are they doing?' she thought.

"Hey, you're on paperwork duty, right?" She pointed at Makuno, Hina, and Kimaru. They quickly nodded and scurried off. Tsukiro followed, not wanting to be cornered by questions later.

Ikkaku spoke up, "Uh, you forgot his." He handed the badge to Renji and ran off with Yumichika before he could thank him.

The only one left was Matsumoto. She grinned rather suggestively before picking up her bottle of sake and running off to her next hiding place.

As they all headed off on the their separate ways, the same thought crossed their minds. They weren't going to forget about this for a very long time.

"What's up with them?" Renji scratched his head.

Kinomi shrugged, "Who knows..."

* * *

**This is twice as much than I usually post. I was gonna post this yesterday but decided to make it longer so this is like a merge with two chapters. WHOOOO LOVE MEEEE! no i'm kidding :)**

**Thanks for the reviews and stuff even though I took so long to update again. But I'm starting to get around my writer's block so hopefully the next one will come out much sooner than this did.**

**Oh man, can't you just wait to get back to school? -SARCASM-**

**Every damn teacher wants to know what you did during the summer and my reply is?**

**"I spent almost every day watching anime, asian dramas, or playing pokemon."**

**"Did you go anywhere?"**

**"Yeah, Warped Tour... that's it."**

**Then they want to write an essay, or go into detail.**

**"I've completed my unova pokedex and realized that I freakin love Yamamoto Yusuke!"**

**I don't have a problem admitting I pratically have no life, but since I'm asian and the people who don't know me hears this, they expect EVERY friggin asian to be as lame as me and I'm like "nooooo shut up leave me alone! My friends say I'm white washed!"**

**HAAAAAH... ignore me -.-**


	16. 16: Pineapples Can't Fish

**I'm sorry it took so long**

* * *

"Eh heh heh~!"

I twitched as I heard that creepy snicker for the 5th time today. There was Rangiku, kneeling on all fours and poking her head through the open doorway in the office. She didn't even bother hiding her presence anymore.

The first day she did this, I thought she was just looking for her "secret" stash of sake without being caught. (I found the stash while cleaning the room a few weeks ago.) On the second day, I thought she wanted to take some sneak pictures for The Seireitei Communication Monthly Magazine again. But today is the third day, and I know for sure she wasn't coming by here every hour just to look for a bottle of sake or take a picture.

"Oi, Rangiku! Just tell me what the hell you want?" I sighed, setting my pen down. It was Wednesday, the week was halfway through, and this week's paperwork is a long way from being finished. What could she possibly want on one of the busiest days in Seireitei?

Before I could blink, she was leaning on my desk from the opposite side, practically drooling on it. "I. Want. Details. All of it," she grinned widely.

"Details? About what?"

"You know," she winked.

I shook my head in confusion, "No, I don't know."

Just what the heck is she on? She kept winking and trying to hint about whatever she was talking about, and eventually crawled over to me and nudged me in the side. "Come on, you can tell me! I won't tell a single soul," she nudged with more force this time, nearly knocking me out of my seat.

I was fed up with whatever she was trying to do. "Rangiku, I honestly have no idea what you're talking about! If you want to know about whatever it is, just tell me straight out!"

"Oh ho ho, playing dumb, still? I'll be back later, and you better be ready to tell me by then. I want all the juicy details!" She snickered before skipping away.

"Wait! At least take your division's paperwork..." I trailed off, tapping the tall stack of papers labeled with a '10' on a sticky note. There was a stack for each division, ready for the other Captains and Lieutenants to sign, but the problem was that I didn't have time to run around delivering paperwork while trying to complete Captain Ukitake's work as well. Why does Captain Kyoraku always drag him off to the bar when he's not bedridden and I need help? Not to mention the third seats were nowhere to be found.

I was about to resume from my small break, but loud whispers outside the office caught my attention instead.

"Why do I have to go in first?"

"Because you're the only one who still denies it!"

"I'm just saying that we should have more proof before assuming things!"

"Well, as your superior, I'm voting you go first, so get your ass in there!"

And with that, Tsukiro stumbled into the office.

I rolled my eyes as he tried to straighten out his clothes. It was obvious he had a struggle with Kimaru. Not only did their attempted whispers gave them away, but they've been acting weird lately, along with Rangiku, Makuno, Hina, Ikkaku, and Yumichika.

"A-ah, Lieutenant, I didn't see you there!" He spoke hurriedly, his voice a pitch higher than usual.

I raised an eyebrow. What the heck are they up to? I've been here for six hours since eight in the morning. How could he NOT know I was here?

"What is it, Tsukiro?"

He turned around for a moment, and I leaned to the side to see what he was looking at behind him. I almost fell out of my chair again after seeing Kimaru, Makuno, and Hina peeking from the doorway and waving at him as if to say "go on!".

Tsukiro quickly turned back around and cleared his throat, going back to his usual "calm" character, "I was wondering if you needed with signing the paperwork?"

"Thanks, but the papers are coming in steady. Why don't you help me deliver these stacks instead?"

He grumbled something under his breath before randomly taking the stack for 4th division and heading out.

* * *

**3rd POV**

"This is not going according to plan..." Kimaru groaned, rubbing his temples as Tsukiro came out of the office with a stack of papers. "We were suppose to go in there one by one, throw her off guard by being nice and helping her with paperwork. Then we would make her spill everything and corner her 4 against 1 if she refused!"

"Kimaru-senpai, she'll hear you if you talk any louder," Hina mumbled.

"Well, so much for your plan," Makuno snickered, but stopped when Tsukiro walked back into the office. "Hey, what are you doing?"

Tsukiro ignored him. "Lieutenant, these three would like to help too," he announced.

The trio's jaws dropped as he ushered them inside. "If I'm going down, then I'm taking you guys with me," he whispered harshly, indicating to the tall stack in his arms and went off to deliver them.

…

The sun was beginning to set as Hina, Makuno, and Kimaru made their way back to the 13th division from delivering paperwork and running errands for their lieutenant.

"Tsukiro-san's not as nice as he looks," Hina sighed, rubbing her sore arms.

"Tch, he ran off after his first delivery and left the rest of the work for us," Makuno grunted.

Kimaru stopped walking and began laughing, creeping out the other two. "Mwahaha! Don't worry, since Plan A was a failure, I used that to my advantage and came up with Plan B!" He pointed to the sky, earning stares from passersby.

Hina and Makuno shared a look.

"And what exactly is Plan B?" Tsukiro asked, pushing himself off from the wall he was leaning on.

Kimaru shifted his finger to point at him, "You! Where the hell have you been this whole entire time?"

"Helping Captain Ukitake and Kyoraku back to their squad barracks since they were too drunk to move," he shrugged, ignoring Kimaru's fuming. "So, tell us about your plan?"

Kimaru grumbled before clearing his throat, "I chose to deliver 6th, 10th, and 11th squad's paperwork earlier for a reason. I've told Abarai that Kinomi wanted to talk to him in her office tonight, and told Matsumoto, Ikkaku, and Yumichika to meet up with us at our squad's entrance. The seven of us will corner them and force them to spill everything!"

The other three sighed.

"This is just like Plan A," Makuno snorted.

"Nuh uh," Kimaru protested. "We have more people on our side this time! We'll have a better chance if we have to end up fighting them!"

"_I don't think we have to go that far..." _They thought.

"Abarai can just 'Bankai' us and it'll be all over, idiot," Makuno whacked him in the head.

"Well, why don't you come up with a better plan?"

…

"We ended up doing Kimaru-senpai's plan after all," Hina sighed with a pout.

"Oi oi! What's with that look on your face? My plan is foolproof!" Kimaru shouted.

"Um, question?" Yumichika raised his hand, and Kimaru nodded for him to go on. "Why the hell are we in a supply closet?"

Kimaru looked around the dark and cramped closet filled with shelves of cleaning supplies, then his gaze went back to the glares he was receiving. "It's the closest room to the office!"

"Is it really necessary to be hiding in the first place?" Tsukiro mumbled.

"Yeah, my boobs don't have enough room!" Matsumoto cried.

"...Your head's so shiny even in the dark..." Makuno stared in wonder as he rubbed Ikkaku's head.

"Don't touch my head, you brat!"

"Shut up! Abarai will be coming by any second now!"

For some reason, they decided to listen to Kimaru and be quiet, waiting for the footsteps of the familiar redhead.

* * *

**1st Person POV :)**

I could have sworn Kimaru was yelling again, but maybe I've just been cooped up in this office for too long.

"Oh well, if I can get enough sleep tonight, I can pull an all-nighter tomorrow," I stood up and stretched before slumping back to my tired form, dragging my feet to the door and ready to collapse any moment. But before I could touch the door, it magically opened by itself. Oh, wait, it's just Renji...

"What are you doing here? I'm tired," I groaned, rubbing my eyes to stay awake a little longer.

"What am I doing here? You're the one who told me to meet you in your office tonight," he scratched his head, giving me a strange look.

"When did I say that? I don't have time for chatting with all this work."

"But your 4th seat said-..." he paused.

4th seat? **My **4th seat? Kimaru?

We sighed at the same time. What the hell does he think he's doing?

As if he read my mind, the brilliant, crazy and slightly bi-polar 4th seat appeared at the doorway with the rest of his wonderful (and also crazy) minions.

"Spill... Now!" He pointed at me and Renji, while we only raised an eyebrow.

Right now, I want nothing more than to crawl to my room and snuggle into bed, yet these weirdos keep popping out of nowhere lately. Can't a girl rest once in a while?

"Spill what?" I glared at all of them. They flinched but quickly recovered and pushed me and Renji onto the small couch while surrounding us.

I jumped when I felt Rangiku's breathing on me from behind. "4 days ago on Sunday... what were you and Renji doing in your room?" She interrogated.

"...Huh?" I looked around at all the curious faces before looking at Renji, who seemed just as confused as me. I tapped my finger to my chin.

Sunday? Oh, that was my free day! And the same day everyone was started to act all weird around me...

"Fishing," I responded.

Now it was everyone else's turn to look confused. "W-what?" Makuno stuttered.

"You're talking about that day Renji invited himself into my room right?"

They nodded.

"Yeah, we were fishing," I nodded to confirm it and Renji had an 'oh' look on his face when he remembered.

Yumichika coughed to get our attention, "Let me get this straight. You two were fishing... in your room?"

I sighed, knowing they wouldn't believe me unless I showed them. "Come on," I said, waving for them to follow.

When I opened the door to my room, all seven of them began looking around. There wasn't much in the room though. Just a bed, a closet, a drawer, and small decorations on the walls. But what they didn't know was that the "wall" across from the door wasn't a wall at all. They watched as I slid the "wall" open, revealing the pond and deck.

"My room is one of the few that's by the pond. The amount of fish have increased lately so Captain Ukitake told me if I have nothing to do, it was alright to go fishing as long as I put them back." I looked at everyone as they stepped out onto the deck with me. "Satisfied?"

"Wait a minute! We heard you guys talking too!" Kimaru protested and everyone else agreed.

"...So, you were eavesdropping?" I growled and they shrunk back.

Renji snickered at their expressions until I glared at him too. I rubbed my temples and sighed loudly, "If I tell you guys what happened, will you leave and let me get some sleep?"

They nodded vigorously.

* * *

**Flashback FTW**

_I sighed for the umpteenth time from my seat on the bed as Renji continues to explore my room aimlessly. Seriously, there is nothing to see here, so why the hell did he want to come in anyway?_

_He snorted, "Wow, you really have nothing in here."_

_I rolled my eyes, "That's what I've been trying to tell you this whole entire time."_

_He gave up on finding something in my room to entertain himself and settled for sitting next to me instead... only to get kicked off._

"_You've seen my room. Satisfied, yes? Good. Now, get out," I yanked him by the sleeve at an attempt to make him leave, but he didn't budge. Why won't he leave?_

"_Your wall has a huge crack in it," he pointed, as if he didn't even feel me pulling._

_I twitched, "That's because it's a **door** that leads outside to the pond."_

_He grinned like a little kid and rushed over to slide it open as my face met my hand._

Me and my big mouth.

_I followed behind, but crashed into his back when he stopped. "What are you doing?" I mumbled, walking in front of him while rubbing my nose._

"_I thought I just heard Ikkaku-san shouting my name..." He scratched his head and looked around before shrugging, "Maybe I'm just imagining it."_

_I snorted and plopped on the deck, letting my bare feet hanging over the edge, "Do you always imagine Ikkaku screaming your name?"_

_A light blush covered his face at the realization of my words, "You are one sick girl."_

"_That's because I've been hanging around you lately."_

_He laughed and sat next to me, "Good point."_

_'He's not even denying it,' I sweatdropped as he continued laughing._

_He stopped when something caught his attention. "Your Captain actually lets you fish from his pond?" He nudged his head in the direction of the fishing poles laying next to my door._

"_Yeah, he said it was fine as long as I put the fish back."_

"_Well, let's start fishing then!"_

_I didn't have time to protest before he tossed me a rod. He was already on his feet, placing his rod on his shoulder like he does with Zabimaru. "You're kidding," I mumbled, refusing to get off my lazy butt._

"_Suit yourself..."_

_He took a breath before swing the rod wildly in the air; the hook barely missing my face. "Ah, you're not doing it right!" I yelped, pulling myself into a ball and placed my rod in front of my face at an attempt of defense._

"_What do you know? I've had more experience than you!" Renji exclaimed, dropping the line in the water._

"_Yeah, right," I snorted. Obviously he thinks fishing is like wielding a sword._

"_It's all in the wrist," he chuckled._

"_You're making all of this up. You've never done this before!" I accused, shaking my fist at him._

"_Well, neither have you!"_

"_Oh, yeah?"_

"_Oh, yeah!"_

_As soon as those words left his mouth, a visible tug was on his line. He gave me a cheshire grin before giving a harsh pull at the rod. Not only was he able to pull the fish out, but he managed to fling it into my lap._

"_Damn it, Renji. I just changed my clothes!" I glared at him while pushing the flopping fish back into the pond._

* * *

"...And that's pretty much what happened," I shrugged while everyone but Renji looked at me dumbfounded.

"Are you sure?" Matsumoto asked suspiciously, leaning closer to my face.

"Yes, I'm 100% sure," I pushed her back. "Why? What did you think was going on?"

Her eyes widened, "Uh, w-well, you know..." she trailed off, with a small blush on her face. It seems everyone else knew what she meant because they started to turn red too. Before I could ask, she harshly pulled Yumichika and Ikkaku by the wrists and left. Kimaru, Makuno, Tsukiro, and Hina scampered off, too.

"What was she talking about?" I asked Renji, who was the only one left.

He froze, "Uhhh... you don't want to know... I-I'll see you tomorrow or something..."

And then there was one...

I pouted, "Dead people are so weird..."

* * *

**Enjoy being a freshman and sophomore in high school kiddies... Junior year is a $*%#$*^$&(*!**

**Tell me if there were any typos... I'm too lazy to go through it xD**


	17. 17: What Is This Witchery

**Why don't my titles ever make sense until the end of the chapter? And even then it still doesn't make sense...**

**I was going to double the length of this chapter, but that would've taken me even longer to update and you guys have waited long enough**

**Thanks for still keeping up with me :)**

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**A Few Days Later**

"That's gross! So damn gross! You guys are the sickest, most perverted, son of a- mph!" My rant was interrupted by a giggly Matsumoto slapping her hand over my mouth. I immediately pushed her away, "Why are we at a bar? And _why_ did you tell Kira and Hisagi, too?"

The duo across from us in the booth waved timidly with nervous smiles on their faces.

I let my head smack the table and groaned, 'And how did those pervs come up with an idea like that?'

After bugging Matsumoto for a while, she finally gave in and told me what she thought had happened in my room a few days ago.

I regret my decision; some things are just better off not knowing...

"Aw... Now I can't tell Ichigo anything if nothing happened..." Matsumoto sighed.

I froze and looked up, "You were going to tell my brother?"

"Of course! Nothing like a little drama between a girl's lover and her brother."

"He's not my lover!" I protested.

"_Who _isn't your lover?" Matsumoto waggled her eyebrows.

"You know exactly who I'm talking about!"

"You haven't mentioned his name once during this whole entire conversation," she sang, pouring another cup of sake.

That's because it's just plain awkward... even if he's not present at the moment...

I sighed and decided to let it go... for now, anyways. Plus, Kira and Hisagi look more at ease now that the screaming has ceased.

"Speaking of my brother, do you know when he's coming to visit?" I asked.

Hisagi tapped his chin in thought, "I haven't heard about him yet. What about you, Kira?"

Kira only shook his head "no".

"Why don't you visit him in the real world if you miss him that much?" Matsumoto suggested.

I gave her a look. "Matsumoto, I died in the real world only a few years ago. What would people think if they saw someone who's suppose to be dead walking around town? I can't go unless it's for a mission where I'm required to stay in my shinigami form."

"Hm... I guess you have a point... Just leave it to me!" She winked and hurried out of the bar. Wow, that's a first.

I twitched.

"I guess I'll be going, too."

The guys waved bye as I stood up and left for the 13th division. It's true that I miss my brother, but that's not the reason for meeting up with him. I have something important to tell him... something he really needs to know...

…

"Ne, Captain Ukitake, have there been any requests for the world of the living?" I asked while signing papers in the office. The Captain has been feeling better so he decided work today.

He began looking through a stack, "Hm, let me see... Any particular reason you want to go?"

"I just have some things to take care of," I squirmed in my seat when he stared at me with an uncertain look on his face.

"Is it personal?"

I nodded, knowing that I couldn't lie to him.

"I'll let you go as long as you promise it won't get in the way of your mission," he waved a piece of paper before skimming through it. "You are to collect reiatsu samples from different locations in Karakura Town and it's surrounding areas. I suggest you bring another lieutenant or someone of a high seat with you for back up. Take this paper with you to the 12th division whenever you're rea-"

I grabbed the paper before he could finish, "Thanks Captain!" I grinned widely before running off.

Ukitake only shook his head with a smile before continuing his work.

"Hm... who should I bring with me?" I wondered out loud while wandering the maze like streets.

An arm draped around my shoulder, "Me, of course!"

I twitched and pried the arm off, "You were eavesdropping weren't you, Kimaru?"

He shrugged, "I was just passing by. So, can-"

"No," I stated simply and walked off.

"Aw, why not?"

Why not? Because, dear Kimaru, I know exactly what you're up to. When the lieutenant is gone, the 3rd seat is normally in charge of their paperwork, but since our 3rd seats are too busy babying the Captain, it'll be your job.

"Because I said so."

I rolled my eyes as his demands escalated and we were nearing the 12th division. Honestly... does this guy have nothing better to do than follow me around all day?

"I'll bring you tea and snacks every hour for the rest of the month."

"Tempting, but it's still NO." I don't know if I should be amused or annoyed by his demands anymore.

"I'll even include a free massage!"

Walking through the 12th's courtyard, he placed his hands on my shoulders and began his (rather crappy) massage. "See? Feels good, eh? Sign up now and you'll receive a steamed towel with it!"

I only shook my head once again. "I'll do anything! Don't leave me with the 3rd seats and your never ending amount of paperwork!" By now, he was practically hanging on my back.

"No means no. Now get back to work and I'll see you in a few days."

The 12th division's door was slammed in his face as I followed one of the members to Captain Kurotsuchi's lab, though he immediately left when we arrived. It wasn't hard to see why: his Captain's a complete weirdo. Speaking of the Captain, he was seated in front of the large screen, tapping away on his keyboard.

"Captain Kurotsuchi, I'm here regarding the mission to collect reiatsu samples from Kara-"

"Yes, yes, I've already heard it from your partner! I don't have time to explain every little detail to you, so take this and get going, underling!" I caught the cellphone-like device he tossed at me before he turned back to his computer and waved me off. Geez, what a warm welcome. Wait- partner? I haven't asked anyone to come with me... Unless somebody signed up for this mission, too.

I began inspecting the device on my way to the gate. It looked just like a normal palm sized phone, except for the little antenna which I'm guessing is for sending the reiatsu waves back to the 12th division's lab. Let's just hope I can figure out how to use it later.

I stuffed it in my robes before coming in contact with my death (by suffocation). "Masumh-to, eh mee guh..." Please tell me she's not my partner for this... I don't think I can survive daily doses of death-by-boobs.

Matsumoto finally pulled away with a huge grin. Her hands left the (painful) embrace and went to squish my cheeks together.

"Have fun, sweetie! If he touches you in weird places, don't be afraid to kick him in the you-know-where!" She winked and gave me a light shove to the gate. I guess she's not my partner then...?

He? Whenever she mentions "he" and makes that stupid face...

A groan left my lips.

No no no no! I didn't think she'd thought this far ahead when she said to leave it to her! How did she even know I would choose this mission? How did she get him to accept the mission? What is this witchery?

By now, I was clutching my hair a making a stupid face of my own.

"Are you okay-?"

"Shut up, it's all your fault!" I waved my finger violently at the one and only: Renji.

"Uh, right..." He scratched his head with a bemused expression before gently pushing me to the gate. "You really need to get out the office more..."

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**Aww this wasn't as long as it seemed when I wrote it on openoffice...  
And sorry if there are any typos... it's nearly 3am and I get a little psycho by now 8D  
LOTS AND LOTS MORE RENJI NEXT CHAPTER... I realized I've been dragging everything on... like I always do because I like messing with you guys 3 nahh i'm just weird haha**

**Death-by-boobs:  
LOL every time my friends and I gather to watch random stuff on Netflix and it stops to buffer, we blame Eunice's giant boobs for disrupting the signal... and now you know where that came from xD**

**So read my profile thing if you wanna know what I've been doing since the last chapter because I'm too lazy to remember at the moment**

**And now i'm off to continue playing Kid Icarus: Uprising :3 or maybe Pokemon... or League of Legends... or maybe it's time I get a life xD**


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